


The Eyes

by Sportscandycollective



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Blood and Injury, Body Horror, Curses, Established Relationship, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Horror, It's horror what do you expect, M/M, Monsters, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic attack?, Rescue Missions, Sort Of, Tags Contain Spoilers, Turned to Stone, mostly angst though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-03 23:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13352049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sportscandycollective/pseuds/Sportscandycollective
Summary: Robbie has dated Sportacus for a little while. Long enough to know that the hero is occasionally called to deal with monsters. His latest mission has him going away for a while, though Sportacus doesn't think he'll be gone for more than a week.Two months later, Robbie decides to go find Sportacus and, tagged along with a few unexpected guests, they'll get tangled up with a monster with a terrifying power and past.NOTICE: PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK ONTO OTHER WEBSITES.





	1. Chapter 1

When Robbie first began to date Sportacus, he already assumed there’d be challenges and adjustments he’d have to make to accommodate the continued presence of another person.

After all, even getting the courage to eventually admit his feelings to the blue elf (something that was only encouraged after Sportacus hinted his own, reciprocal feelings first) was a monumental challenge. Robbie somehow knew it’d be stupid to think that things would be smooth sailing afterwards.  
Life was never that simple or _lazy_.

No, first there was the important conversation of who to inform about their relationship and if they would make it public. After a lengthy and thorough conversation, the two came to the mutual decision to keep their relationship a secret.  
“You said you have some fancy, sports council you have to appease, right? I don’t suppose they’d be happy about you dating a villain like me.” Robbie had said.  
Sportacus shook his head.  
“No, they would definitely be unhappy. That’s nothing to say about your reputation either. You’re still trying to get top billing in that magazine, right?”  
“Yes, because I won’t let a stupid dog get the best of me!” Robbie stated with a laugh. He sighed. “So, I suppose it’s settled? No PDA and absolutely no one knows we’re dating?”  
Sportacus bit his lip.  
“Well, maybe we could tell Ms. Busybody. Maybe Mayor Meanswell. Just in case they see us and can help divert everyone else’s attention away.” He said.  
Robbie looked apprehensive.  
“You sure Bessie won’t just call up her hen-friends and spill the beans?” He asked with a smirk.  
Sportacus shook his head with a small smile.  
“I’m certain. She’s much more respectful than you think, Robbie.” He said.  
“Okay, but if everyone knows by next week, I’ll start the ‘I told you so’s.” Robbie said teasingly.

Thus, the two kept their relationship a secret. Robbie continued to scheme and plot against the kids’ energetic activities through building complex contraptions and wearing elaborate disguises. Sportacus continued to foil and defeat Robbie at every turn, and even continued to shake his head and roll his eyes every time Robbie’s disguise fell off, not halting the annoyed chorus of Robbie’s name.  
It wasn’t easy, that’s for certain. Robbie had to fight the urge to hang with Sportacus in public, lest he accidentally slip and sneak a kiss to the hero. He could see how Sportacus looked disappointed when they’d cross paths, unable to pull his boyfriend into a surprise hug. Sportacus would also give an apologetic look if he had to catch the escaping Robbie in a trap.  
“Are you hurt?” He’d whisper.  
“I’m fine. Keep with the act.” Robbie would whisper back.  
“Dinner tonight? I’m making veggie pasta.” Sportacus asked with a smile.  
“Only if you bring dessert.” Said Robbie with a smirk.  
“As if I’d forget – “Sportacus would start.  
“ROBBIE ROTTEN!” The kids chimed together.  
Sportacus, as cleanly as he could, stood up and switched his expression from fondness to annoyance.  
“Robbie Rotten…” He’d say annoyedly, though his eyes would convey his apology.  
  
Definitely wasn’t easy at all.

But far harder than that, and something Robbie never expected, came about when Sportacus first talked to him about his job.  
Robbie had assumed that Sportacus’s job was limited to flipping around and teaching kids about the wonders of “sportscandy”. He assumed that the “superhero” moniker the kids would throw around was nothing but a fond term chosen by the kids based on his uniform and how he’d help with minor inconveniences around town.  
He couldn’t have been more wrong.  
As Robbie soon found out, Sportacus’s job was a little more detailed than that.  
First, he learned about the council of sports elves that dictated the details of each hero’s job. Easy enough, and wasn’t all that surprising to Robbie. It was even less surprising when Sportacus noted how closely they follow each of the heroes to keep tabs on their activities.  
Far more surprising, and concerning, was what other details were part of Sportacus’s job as a slightly-above-average hero.  
Robbie had known that, occasionally, Sportacus would leave town for a few days to up to a week. Robbie assumed that those missions were to restock Sportacus’s supplies or for airship maintenance. He was mostly right. Half the time, Sportacus would leave for those exact reasons.  
But he could’ve never guessed that the other half of those times were devoted to _monster extermination_.  
“As part of the sports elves’ duties,” Sportacus explained one night quietly. “we are sometimes called upon to handle conflicts and dangers of a more…magical origin.”  
He explained as calmly as he could the details of said missions: a sports elf would receive a scroll via magic communication from the council that described the location of the monster, what kind of monster it was, and when they were needed. Rarely the missions would allow a few days to prepare.  
“S-So, just at any point, you could be called to handle some monster? And you’ve been doing this since you first got here?” asked Robbie, trying to suppress his nerves.  
Sportacus nodded.  
“Though, I’ve been lucky. I haven’t had to fight anything _too_ terrible yet. A few ogres, a troll or two. Once I was asked to challenge a sphinx, that was tough. Another time I dealt with a school of sirens. But for the most part, just goblins and ogres.” He said, trying to placate Robbie.

Oh yeah, _just_ goblins and ogres. Just hearing those words made Robbie think of the illustrations in the books he owned as a kid. Ugly things with jagged teeth, glowing eyes, and either bulky weaponry or sharp claws.

“And you’re asked to _fight_ these things?” asked Robbie.  
Sportacus nodded, but then leaned forward and cupped Robbie’s cheek.  
“It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’ve been fine each time, so I don’t want you to worry about me, okay? I just wanted to tell you about this so you’d know where I’m going if I leave.” He said, rubbing his thumb softly against Robbie’s cheek.  
“There’s no way for you to just, you know, _not_ go on these missions? No one else in your little hero group could take up your work?” Robbie asked hopefully.  
Sportacus chuckled and gave a weak smile.  
“I think the council might find that _lazy_.” Sportacus responded weakly.  
So the implication was there. Sportacus couldn’t back out of this work even if he wanted to. Clearly, as he almost sickeningly joked about his situation.  
Robbie wanted to protest, wanted to state just how impossible it’d be _not_ for him to worry. Ask and press for _some way_ to reduce the amount of missions Sportacus was assigned. But instead, he held his tongue.  
He just nodded that night, and held Sportacus’s hand, all the while he tried not to think about whether the next time would be the first time Sportacus would return _not_ okay.  
Or whether the next time he wouldn’t return _at all_.

And he kept holding his tongue each time, subsequently, Sportacus would be called to another mission and would leave for a few days.  
Granted, Sportacus did give Robbie most if not all the details in the mission reports.  
“I’m off towards the Eastern sea-border to fight an ogre clan. I should be back in three days.” Sportacus said one time.  
“I’ve been tasked with driving away a herd of angry minotaur. I think I’ll be back by Friday.” He said another time.  
“I have to deal with a giant serpent.”  
“A village is being harassed by a flock of harpies.”  
“A farm has an infestation of goblins in their corn fields.”  
“I should be back in no more than a week.”  
Robbie heard all of that so often and, each time, he’d hold his tongue and reiterate his promise to keep acting villainous while Sportacus was absent.  
Admittedly, however, he struggled to be villainous as his mind so kindly conjured the worst possible end scenarios for Sportacus to be stuck in, as well as the nagging fear of him never returning.  
Nevertheless, Robbie took some stomach medicine and powered through, laughing evilly and either tried to divert the children’s attentions to a lazy activity or went on a vacation to the coast. And inevitably, Sportacus would return, often sporting a few extra cuts and bruises.  
Sometimes he’d have worse, but those were blessedly less often.  
And Robbie would help him with his wounds and while he fussed over some of the deeper cuts, he tried his hardest to keep up a persona of nonchalance with comments and teasing remarks.

He kept it up for those first eight months of their relationship, and barely let slip any apprehension or exasperated frustration over the danger of Sportacus’s missions. But eventually, it became too much.

One night, Sportacus returned from his usual hero duty and slid down Robbie’s ladder. Robbie was more than happy to see the hero. That day’s scheme had been particularly stressful and Robbie worried about the possibility of injuring Sportacus with it. Usually Robbie had banned any projectile mechanisms after he started to date Sportacus, but he’d been running behind schedule lately and had to pull an old scheme to keep on track.  
“It smells wonderful down here!” Sportacus commented happily as he hung his cap on a hook.  
“I’m glad you think so. Turns out the secret is to use _salt_.” Robbie said with a teasing look.  
Sportacus smirked and shook his head.  
“I get it, my food can be bland. I don’t want to over-season my meals!” He stated.  
“You’ll only figure out proper seasoning if you _try_ , Sportadoof.” Said Robbie, stepping up and slapping an oven mitt against Sportacus’s chest. “It’s about ready so get your water or whatever you health nuts drink.”  
Sportacus smiled and planted a kiss on Robbie’s cheek as he jogged over to the kitchen.  
“Ooo! You made a casserole?” asked Sportacus, grinning.  
“Yup, and it’s full of that lovely zucchini you like.” Robbie said with slight sarcasm.  
Sportacus looked up with a smile.  
“Thank you _dear_.” He said coyingly.  
Robbie stuck out a tongue.  
“Now don’t start with that, or I _will_ “spill” sugar on your meal.” He threatened jokingly.  
Sportacus smiled and grabbed a cup from the cupboard.  
“Do you want water too?” He asked.  
“Sportacus, we’ve been dating for, what, six months? What do you think the answer is?” Robbie asked with a look.  
“Cola for you then.” Sportacus noted, grabbing a can off the counter. “Can’t say I didn’t try.”  
“And you can keep trying, I’m _not_ going to drink water.” Robbie said, walking up and kissing the edge of Sportacus’s ear.  
Sportacus giggled and nearly dropped the glass he was holding, his face burning a bright red.  
“What was that for?” asked Sportacus.  
“To get you to stop trying to make me drink water.” Said Robbie.  
“Not a very effective punishment.”  
“Who said it was a punishment?” asked Robbie with a quirked brow.  
Sportacus smiled and kissed Robbie back.

The two had tucked into their dinner, chatting in a friendly fashion with each other as their feet played a wrestling game, when a swirl of blue-gray smoke spiraled down towards the table. In a second it exploded into a burst of bright green light, and a scroll dropped into Sportacus’s open palm.  
Robbie’s then present smile vanished in a millisecond.  
“That isn’t another mission, is it?” He asked.  
Sportacus’s lips thinned as he unrolled the scroll. As he scanned its content, he shook his head and sighed.  
“I’m afraid it is. And this one sounds bigger than the others.”  
Robbie’s face paled.  
“Big as in how?” He asked uneasily.  
Sportacus looked away, considering how to answer his boyfriend’s question, before finally deciding on the blunt truth.  
“Big as in…they can’t even tell me what kind of monster it is.” Sportacus said with a sigh. “All they know is this monster is temporally and geographically unstable, with it and its domain popping up in different spots over the centuries. They also know that people who’ve gone to look for it often disappear, never to be seen again.”  
Robbie’s paled face went ghostly white. His mouth went dry and his hands trembled.  
“Oh.” He finally uttered, at a loss for words.  
Sportacus, meanwhile, nodded slowly and rolled the scroll back up, stuffing it into his pocket.  
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to prepare some tracking programs with the airship and pack extra supplies. Shouldn’t be too bad!” Sportacus said with a smile as he took another bite from his casserole.  
Robbie stared at Sportacus in disbelief.  
“Excuse me, did you not understand what you _just read_? That scroll literally said that people go missing looking for that thing, and you just shrug that off??” He said, his volume raising.  
Sportacus looked up and laid down his fork.  
“Well, it probably won’t be. I may be gone longer than normal, maybe a week? Two if we’re feeling uneasy but I don’t think it’ll be that long.” He said.  
“Gone longer, sure, you could go missing _forever_.” Robbie muttered.  
Sportacus frowned.  
“Is everything okay, Robbie? You seem upset.” He said.  
“Oh no I’m _peachy_!” said Robbie exasperatedly, standing up from his chair. “I just get to sit back and watch you go on yet another stupid mission where your life will be put on the line! Yet I’m the wrong one for being worried sick about you!”  
“Robbie, have you been worrying about me? You don’t need to!” Sportacus said in concern.  
“I know I don’t _have_ to, but guess what? I _do_! Do you know I’ve had to invest in a _third_ first-aid kit so I’m ready for when you come home? And even then, I’ve bought probably four bottles of Tums over the last few months just to deal with anxious nausea! Do you think it’s great? Do you think it’s great to worry for days on end as you go fight some gigantic monster and I can’t do anything if you’re in trouble?” Robbie said wearily, his eyes watering.  
Sportacus pursed his lips and walked over towards Robbie, gently holding him close.  
“I’m sorry Robbie, I really didn’t know I worried you so badly.” He said, rubbing his back.  
Robbie sighed.  
“You really thought I wouldn’t worry? You’re an idiot, Sportaidiot.” He said with a shaky laugh. “Sorry.”  
“It’s okay.” Sportacus said, giving him a small smile. “You really care about me, don’t you?”  
“Of course I do, Sportakook.” Robbie laughed as he brushed a tear away. “I just…I can’t believe you didn’t think I’d worry.”  
Sportacus nodded slowly.  
“I mean you aren’t wrong.  I should’ve guessed that.” He said.  
“I just…” Robbie started. “…that mission sounds terrible.”  
“It really shouldn’t be that bad though.” Said Sportacus. “You know me, I love taking on challenges. Besides, I’m sure that whole ‘people disappearing forever’ thing is just a rumor. You know how people can be.”  
“I know, but,” Robbie said, hugging Sportacus closer. “I’m still worried.”

Sportacus bit his lip as he thought. He sighed before he responded.  
“Tell you what. I’ll go on this mission, finish it like usual. After that, I’ll…try and request a leave from additional missions from the council.” He suggested.  
Robbie pulled away and looked at him in surprise.  
“I thought you said you couldn’t?” He asked.  
“I can’t, usually.” Admitted Sportacus. “But it’s worth a try, right? Maybe I could at least get them reduced.”  
“You’d do that for me?” asked Robbie.  
Sportacus smiled warmly.  
“Who else would I be doing that for?” He asked.  
Robbie shrugged and rolled his eyes.  
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m not the only nagging villain in your life. Or maybe Pinky is on to us and is bothering you too.”  
“Nope! This is just for you.” Said Sportacus as he kissed Robbie’s nose.  
“You’re such a dork, Sportacow.” Robbie mumbled, before kissing the hero back.  
“As if I’d be anything else.” Said Sportacus with a joking look. “Now let’s get these dishes cleaned up. It’s getting late and I have to get up early.”  
“Boo to your sleep schedule. Let’s watch a movie.” Said Robbie, hanging limply around Sportacus’s shoulders.  
Sportacus chuckled and shook his head.  
“Come on, Mr. Noodle. I can’t stay up tonight. Maybe when I get back?” He suggested.  
Robbie paused, his expression faltering for a moment, before he looked up and gave a dramatic sigh.  
“I suppose, if I _have_ to wait.” He said.  
Sportacus laughed and walked to the kitchen, Robbie still hanging with his arms wrapped around him.

After they cleaned up, both men returned to Robbie’s bedroom, changing into their pajamas and getting themselves ready to sleep.  
They crawled into their respective sides, with Robbie soon rolling over to cuddle with his boyfriend. He sighed contently as Sportacus ran his fingers through his hair, and as he listened to Sportacus’s heartbeat.  
“I wish you didn’t have to leave so dang early.” Mumbled Robbie.  
“You could get up early to see me off.” Sportacus suggested with a small smile.  
“I could, but I think we both know the likelihood of that.” Robbie responded.  
Sportacus laughed and kissed Robbie’s forehead.  
“Well, if I don’t see you in the morning, I’ll see you in a week or so. And remember, you can always use the enchanted paper to contact me.” He said.  
Robbie looked up at Sportacus.  
“And you promise to talk to the council when you get back?” asked Robbie.  
Sportacus nodded.  
“I promise.” He said quietly.  
Robbie sighed and snuggled closer.  
“Thank you.” He said.  
“Good night, Robbie.” Said Sportacus.  
“Good night, Sportacus.” Robbie said in return.

\--

Two months ago.

That was how long it’d been since Robbie last saw Sportacus.

That conversation in bed was the last one he’d had with the hero in person.

Just as Robbie guessed, he didn’t wake up in time to see Sportacus off. Instead he woke up to a half empty bed, Sportacus’s indent still in the pillow.

Reassuring himself that Sportacus would be okay, Robbie got up and went about his day as usual. He kept his lazy routine, made plans to stop the children’s noisy games, and left enough of a weakness for the kids to solve on their own. They’d react in annoyance, and Robbie would sink back to his lair.

And he did that again the next day.

And the next.

And the next.

After about a week, Robbie began to feel that seed of worry grow once more. He contacted Sportacus the day after he left, and the hero had responded promptly. He said that he was surprised how close the monster’s domain was to LazyTown, and how he hadn’t needed to fly his airship to reach its land.  
“I’m certain it’s trapped in its location though. So, no worries, you and the kids are safe.” Sportacus wrote.  
Robbie responded, adding in that he missed him.  
After that, there was no response.

Robbie tried to keep himself calm, but his worry showed clearly through his increasingly sloppy plans. His disguises seemed to fall apart more easily and the kids were less amused nor distracted by his contraptions.  
By week two, Robbie had stopped his lazy schemes all together, his worry finally sprouting fully. Sportacus had still yet to respond to his newest messages. He only hoped that the hero was simply distracted by his mission, and nothing worse had happened.

By week three and four, the children were starting to ask questions. Injuries and accidents kept their usual pace in LazyTown, but the blue hero hadn’t shown up even once. Talks and murmuring started amongst the children that Robbie had finally gotten rid of Sportacus, and plans of a stealth operation started, the goal being to sneak into Robbie’s lair.  
Robbie soon had to contend with multiple drones flying into his lair through the pipes interconnecting the entire town. At first, he ignored them. By day five, he was officially annoyed with their presence.  
“Would you _brats_ leave me be?! I didn’t run your stupid hero out of town!” He growled, feeling a pang of guilt for insulting his boyfriend like that.  
By week six, the kids officially stopped their attempts to search Robbie’s lair. Partially, he was thankful for that. He was losing enough sleep without the children’s spy missions.  
But after he saw the kids’ downturned faces and glum expressions, he realized that somehow this was far worse. Sure, the kids weren’t being noisy or active, but their distressed expressions were painful for Robbie to see. He wasn’t sure why; even after he started dating Sportacus, he still found the children loud and obnoxious.  
But he also knew how much Sportacus cared for them, and they for him.  
Robbie pondered whether it was better that they _didn’t_ know the potential danger Sportacus was in. If that would somehow make things so much worse.

Around week four Robbie had started writing letters to the council. Sportacus had told him he could send scrolls to other magical beings if he signed the recipient’s title on the top of the scrolls. So, every day, he sent a SOS message to the magic council, urging them to investigate Sportacus’s disappearance and radio silence.  
The responses were slow and sporadic, the ones he did receive being little more than form letters.  
“Please contact the hero for more information.”  
“Our correspondence rooms are incredibly flooded.”  
“Please attempt correspondence at a later date.”  
Robbie soon had a small mountain of crumpled form letters littering the corner of his lair.

Week eight concluded with Robbie, after multiple attempts, finally succeeding in breaking into Sportacus’s airship. He’d have to ask Sportacus to add him to the recognized vocal commands once he returned.  
“Hey, airship. Not here to hurt you, I just want to know where Sportacus is.” Asked Robbie as casually as he could.  
The airship delayed for a moment, and Robbie worried that the ship was preparing a security protocol to shoot him out of the hull.  
Then, the ship responded.  
“My signal for Sportacus is weak, but his coordinates have not moved since last check occurring one week ago.” It reported.  
Robbie crinkled his nose.  
“But how’s that possible? Is…has he reported back to you with anything?” He asked.  
“Negative. I have heard nothing from Sportacus since he first left two months ago. Attempts to contact Sportacus have failed.” Reported the airship.  
Robbie tapped his foot as he thought. He considered his options when, finally, he looked back up.  
“Any chance you could give me a print-out of Sportacus’s location?” Robbie asked.  
“Affirmative. Processing copy of coordinates now.” Stated the airship.

Out of a small slit in the side of the ship, a piece of paper slowly jutted out, its surface containing a print-out of LazyTown and its surroundings.  
“System wishes to inquire upon your intents, Robbie Rotten.” The airship stated as Robbie strolled over towards the map.  
As Robbie snatched the paper from the wall, he sighed.  
“Something stupid, no doubt. But I’m not going to sit around anymore while Sportacus could be in trouble. If I can’t get any help from the elven council and Sportacus isn’t responding, then I’m going after him myself.”  
“System records conclude that this behavior is odd for you.”  
Robbie snorted.  
“Blame a certain blue elf for that. Trust me, I’m still wondering about how stupid this idea is.”  
He paused.  
“Though, I can’t doubt, I care about the dumb elf. And I want to at least make sure he’s okay.” He said more quietly.

As Robbie moved towards the ladder, a small backpack rose out of the floor.  
“This backpack contains supplies for basic camping and survival. It also includes general defensive weaponry such as knives and batons. This should increase the likelihood of your success by 20%.” The airship reported.  
“Only 20%? That still doesn’t sound good.” Robbie noted.  
“Any increase would be beneficial to your plan, Robbie Rotten.” Responded the airship.  
“I don’t know if that’s just confirming how stupid my plan is, but I’ll try not to think about that.” Robbie said, rolling his eyes as he began his descent.  
“And Robbie Rotten?” said the airship.  
Robbie paused.  
“Good luck.” Said the ship.  
Robbie nodded.  
“Thanks. I’ll need all the luck that I can get.” He said, descending the ladder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So something to note: This story is pretty much just a writing exercise to try and get me out of my writing funk. I decided, to try and beat the funk, I'd write a story with minimal planning. To give you an idea, my story planning documents have stretched to probably 12 pages of notes and information, with my "plot summaries" being a joke. Yeah, it does mean I can make more intricate stories, but it's also a bit stressful to work with. So, I've gone back to my roots. "A Fall Greater Than He Ever Knew"'s plot notes was seven bullet points, similar to this one. 
> 
> So sorry for inconsistencies and probably a dent to the quality. I'm pretty much writing this by the seat of my pants, to switch things up. I hope, regardless, that you all enjoy this.
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Sportacus’s coordinates corresponded to a point east of town, deep within the LazyTown woods. For a moment, Robbie wondered if the reason his signal was weak was just because of all the trees in the area. Then he remembered just how high-tech Sportacus’s airship was, and how unlikely it was to be affected by plant density.  
Still, to soothe himself, he just attributed the weak signal to the tree canopy.

Robbie started forward, trekking down the trail with his map and compass in hand. In order to avoid being questioned by the townsfolk, Robbie had chosen to depart by nightfall. Sure, he figured most seasoned adventurers would insult his intelligence, mostly for choosing to leave when there was little natural light. But Robbie figured he had flashlights; that’d make up for the lacking ambient light.  
Besides, he figured those adventurers never had to deal with nosy townsfolk scrutinizing his every move.  
As he walked along, he paused as the compass suddenly went wild, its needle spinning in a humming circle until it sharply stopped, its tip pointing towards a thicket of bushes. The wind grew colder and, somehow, Robbie suspected the presence of magic.  
“Okay, so of course Sportacus is located in the darkest and scariest part of the forest. Can’t monsters just hide out in flowery meadows or parks? Why do they pick the worst parts of the woods?” Robbie mumbled to himself as he began to push aside some of the brush.

“ROBBIE ROTTEN!”

Robbie froze and yelped at the sound of his name being suddenly yelled. He lost his footing and stumbled face first into the brush. The branches poked at his face and left tiny cuts on his face. Jerking himself upright, he shot a glare backwards, his pupils shrinking.  
Right behind him, standing with angry and judgmental stares, were all five kids. They were all dressed in their Lazy Scouts uniforms, and at least three of them (the candy boy, the pink girl, and the one with a bowtie) had gigantic packs on their backs. The only one of them that didn’t look distinctly displeased was the candy boy, who while looking angry mostly hung behind the rest of his friends.  
Robbie grumbled and stood back on his feet, dusting off his clothes.  
“Isn’t it past you brats’ bedtimes?” He asked.  
“I think we could ask the same of _you_!” spat back Trixie.  
“What did you do with Sportacus?” asked Stephanie accusingly.  
Robbie frowned and scrunched his nose.  
“I didn’t _do_ anything with Sportaloon. He’s off doing his flippity thing. _I_ on the other hand am just enjoying a midnight stroll.” He said, straightening out his vest.  
“Yeah right. Robbie Rotten on a stroll? I’ll believe that when pigs fly.” Said Stingy.  
Robbie furrowed his brow.  
“Don’t you have some coins to steal, Stinky? Shoo!” He growled.  
“That’s Stingy to you!” Stingy said annoyedly.  
“And we’re not leaving! We’re looking for Sportacus!” Stephanie said, her fists on her hips.

Robbie stopped, and looked confusedly at the children.  
“You are? Why? Or more, how? You don’t even have a clue where he is.” He asked.  
The children’s angry energy subsided for a second, their expressions conveying how on the nose Robbie was.  
“Well, we’d figure this was a good place to start. We know he didn’t take the airship or his skutla, so he’d have to be close.” Noted Ziggy.  
“Also I caught him running into the LazyTown woods on my cameras a while back. I checked them the other day and we all decided this was a good guess.” Pixel added.  
Robbie frowned.  
“Well, good luck I guess. Go get yourselves lost in the woods. See if I care.” He said dismissively, turning to walk through the brush.  
“So wait, your midnight stroll is straight through LazyTown forest?” questioned Trixie.  
“Oh sure. Just thought I’d get some, uh, extra cardio involved.” Robbie said quickly as he pushed ahead.

“ _That was weak. They’re going to suspect that right away._ ” Robbie thought to himself.

“Hey! Robbie!” called Stephanie.

“Darn it. Not even a minute.” He muttered.

He stopped and turned around, seeing the five children run up to him.  
“What do you brats want now?” He asked.  
“Short version, we’re still not convinced.” Trixie said with glare. “When did Robbie Rotten start caring about cardio?”  
“Because Robbie Rotten is watching his waistline now can you kids please leave?” He said quickly.  
“You don’t need to watch your weight. You’re like a twig!” commented Stingy.  
Robbie furrowed his brow at the boy.  
“I would’ve thanked you, but it’s rude to comment on someone’s weight thank you very much.” He said disapprovingly.  
While he reprimanded Stingy, Robbie missed Stephanie sneaking up behind him. She quickly snatched the map from his hands and ran back to her friends.  
“Hey! You little thief, give that back!” Robbie snarled.  
“This looks like a map! And the coordinates…S_10?” asked Stephanie.  
“S_10…like Sportacus 10?” concluded Pixel.  
Ziggy gasped, and all five kids looked at Robbie.  
“You _are_ looking for Sportacus!” He commented.  
Robbie, at first frozen with a paled face, cleared his throat and rolled his eyes.  
“Well yeah! Can’t be a villain without a nemesis, right? I want to win through my own effort, not because Sportaspoon got lost in the woods!” He commented, grimacing at the nickname.  
The kids looked at each other skeptically until Trixie shrugged.  
“He’s got a point. Sort of.” She noted.  
Stephanie looked back to Robbie.  
“So, if you’re looking for Sportacus, and so are we, we should work together? Right?” She suggested.  
The other kids hesitantly agreed.  


Robbie snorted.  
“And _why_ would I work with you munchkins?” He asked.  
“Well, for one, we have more experience surviving in the wilderness than you.” Stingy started.  
“Plus, we’re willing to eat sportscandy, so we’ll have more energy.” Added Pixel. “And I’ve made some new night vision components for my goggles, so I can see even better in the dark!” He said, pointing to his newly green-tinted goggles.  
“And we’re Sportacus’s friends, so he’ll be happy to see us!” said Trixie pointedly.  
“But I’m Sportacus’s – “Robbie started angrily, before stopping himself. “Regardless, I’m not taking you rugrats with me. It’s dangerous for you all to be out at night, and I will _not_ be held responsible if one of you five falls down a hole and hurts themselves.”  
The kids looked at each for a moment before Stephanie spoke up.  
“Well, six is better than one, right? If we’re trying to find Sportacus, it’s best that we have all of us to search more space in a shorter time?” She suggested.  
Robbie frowned, biting his lip. He grumbled, thinking of what to say that wouldn’t reveal the true nature of Sportacus’s mission yet get the brats to leave, but he was coming up empty. Groaning, Robbie threw up his hands.  
“Fine, you brats can join me. But you better not wander off or badger me with questions or, so help me, I’ll ditch you all here. Got that?” said Robbie.  
The kids nodded.  
“Good. Let’s get going. Sportacus is nearby, if this map tells me anything.” Robbie said, starting once more towards where the compass is pointing.

Following along like ducklings following their mother, the five kids hiked after Robbie, keeping a single file line. Pixel glanced up and down at his wrist device, keeping track of their progress and mapping their trail for easy return. Trixie kept a vigilant watch, stabbing at random bushes with a stick she found on the ground. Stingy looked around more casually, giving the occasional annoyed look to Ziggy, who was quietly singing a song to himself.  
“ _I pile on the candy, it’s such a pretty sight. Makes the food taste dandy but my_ – “Ziggy sung to himself.  
“Ziggy, do you HAVE to sing?” Stingy asked in annoyance.  
“Aww Stingy, I’m just trying to pass the time! These walks can get pretty long.” Ziggy said with a shrug.  
“Yes, but the whole reason we’re here is to look for Sportacus. How can you be looking thoroughly if you’re distracted by a stupid song?” Stingy asked with a disapproving frown.  
“I can’t help it! It’s so catchy, and all these bushes look the same. Besides, why would Sportacus be in a bush? He’s a superhero! Superheroes don’t get stuck in bushes!” Ziggy asked.  
“Yeah, well superheroes don’t vanish for months without reason! We can’t rule out any bushes!” Trixie said firmly, stabbing another bush.  
“Exactly, so you need to pay attention! So, stop singing, or we’ll never find Sportacus at this rate!” Stingy stated, before turning back to his casual search.  
Robbie rolled his eyes and sighed once the silence returned, thankful as well that the song had stopped.  
He glanced down at his map. They’d be close to Sportacus’s last location in less than a few minutes.  
“ _Hey hey, get it together. No one’s lazy in Lazy –_ “  
“ZIGGY I SWEAR – “Stingy started loudly.  
The other kids plugged their ears and cringed.  
“Would you brats shut it?!” Robbie hissed, looking back with a glare.

The five kids shrunk inwards.

“Need I remind you that Sportacus could be in trouble and _silence_ is key? So, I don’t want to hear any singing,” Robbie said, looking at Ziggy. “or complaining!” He said, turning to Stingy.  
Stingy’s initial haughty look instantly vanished as Robbie looked at him.  
“Do I make myself clear?” Robbie asked with a glare.  
The five kids nodded, though none looked particularly pleased.  
Robbie sighed and ran a hand over his hair.  
“Good, because according to my map, Sportacus should be right past these bushes. And I don’t think he’d want to be greeted by arguing kids, would he?” He asked.  
The kids shook their heads.  
Robbie, satisfied enough with their response, pushed aside the last of the bushes and stepped into the clearing.

As soon as he saw what stood in the forest’s center, Robbie’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

Bordering the center of the clearing, forming a perfect square, stood a wall built of milky stone that shone in the moonlight. It cut off the group’s view of much of the interior, but judging from the tall, crawling spire covered in vines and the broken columns that dotted the space inside the walls, what laid inside would be just as impressive. The gate had long been destroyed, with only a few splinters of wood remaining against the arch’s interior. Through the arch, grasses dotted by other structures could be barely made out from their distance.  
“It’s…a castle?” said Stephanie with a confused expression.  
“I didn’t know LazyTown had a castle.” Stated Trixie.  
“Well, we have that one, but its near the edges of town. Definitely NOT in the middle of LazyTown woods. Plus, I don’t remember it looking that…big.” Pixel said, checking his wrist device for accuracy.  
Ziggy tugged on Robbie’s pant leg.  
“Is Sportacus in there, Robbie?” He asked uneasily.  
Robbie gave the kid a look of both feigned annoyance yet unease.  
“According to the map, unfortunately yes. He’s somewhere in there, so that’s where we have to look.” He said, rolling up the map and stuffing it into a pocket on his pack.

The group started forward, only hesitating once they approached the arch.  
“Man, this place is HUGE. Where could Sportacus be?” asked Pixel.  
“How should I know? He’s somewhere in there, and that’s all I know. We’ll just have to check the place out thoroughly.” Robbie noted with a frown.  
Stephanie frowned and started after Robbie when she felt something tug at her dress. She turned to face Ziggy.  
“I-Is it alright if I stay with you, Stephanie?” asked Ziggy.  
Stephanie smiled.  
“Of course, Ziggy. Are you scared?” She asked.  
“Well, n-no,” Ziggy said with pursed lips. “I just, um, think it’d be better if we stick together! Buddy system, right?”  
Stephanie chuckled.  
“That is pretty smart. Good thinking Ziggy! You’ll stay with me.” She said, moving forward through the arch.  
Once the whole group entered through the archway, they emerged in what appeared to be a spacious courtyard. The green grasses swayed in the breeze, their fields punctuated with only strange, random stone pieces. They varied in size, with some being columns that stretched up into the sky, while others seemed to barely reach halfway up Robbie’s leg and served no discernable purpose. The group shivered at the sight as well as the silence.  
Robbie cleared his throat and tried to stand as tall as he could.  
“Alright everyone, here’s the plan. We’ll split up and search the courtyard. Return here in, let’s say, half an hour. If no one finds anything, we’ll move forward and search further in.”  
“Can we have a buddy system? Ziggy and I think that’d be smarter.” Stephanie suggested.  
Robbie frowned and looked over, seeing how the youngest boy hid partly behind his friend.  
Groaning, Robbie shook his head.  
“Fine. Candy boy can go with you. Stinky can go with the computer nerd. That leaves me with…” Robbie started, before looking over at Trixie.  
Trixie smirked and stuck out her tongue.  
Robbie couldn’t stop his grimace.  
“The pigtailed one.” He muttered.  
“I have a name you know.” Trixie retorted.  
“Yeah, well that’s not important right now. Let’s find Sportacus first, then we can start the fun process of learning people’s names.” Said Robbie.

The teams split off in different directions. Stingy and Pixel went off to the left, towards a row of statues that decorated the western half of the field. Stephanie and Ziggy searched over an area of flattened stone that, also, had a few statues for decorations. Robbie and Trixie searched the center area, investigating the columns and pillars for any sign of the hero.  
Ziggy followed Stephanie closely, averting his eyes away from the cold stares of the statues.  
“Looks like there were some houses here at some point.” Noted Stephanie. “I wonder where this all came from? I don’t remember there being another town this close to LazyTown.”  
“M-Me neither.” Noted Ziggy uneasily, his eyes finally looking up into the statue’s.  
The statue’s eyes, with brows furrowed in anger that contrasted with its shocked expression, glared into Ziggy’s. Ziggy knew he was seeing things, but something still made him feel like the statue was glaring harder at him, its brow sinking lower.  
Ziggy squeaked and rushed closer to Stephanie.  
Stephanie looked over at her friend with a worried expression.  
“Ziggy, if this is too scary for you, I could bring you back to LazyTown. It’s okay if you’re scared!” She suggested.  
Ziggy shook his head.  
“N-No, I’ll be okay! Besides, I want to help look for Sportacus! What kind of friend would I be if I chickened out now?” He responded.  
Stephanie nodded.  
“Well, if you change your mind just let me know. It’s not too long of a way back, so it’d be no trouble.” She said, then pointed to another row of statues and bushes. “Come on, let’s search over there. I don’t see anything here.”  
Ziggy followed along closely and kept his eyes off the statues.

Robbie searched around each pillar, pushing aside blankets of ivy and moss as he searched each corner of their designated area.  
Trixie looked about, scrunching her nose at a group of statues in one corner.  
“Geez, whatever town this was really liked their statues, huh?” She remarked, kicking aside a pebble.  
“Huh? Oh, I guess.” Robbie noted absentmindedly, as he pushed aside some rubble. He paused as he found a small doll, made of sackcloth and straw, hiding underneath the piles of rock.  
He picked up the doll and turned it around in his hand, scrutinizing it thoroughly.  
“This doll…looks like it was made centuries ago.” He noted thoughtfully. His gaze turned upwards and stopped.  
A few feet away, he noted a duo of statues. One of a woman, dressed in medieval garb, staring in terror at something in front of her. Ducking behind her, her face peeking past the skirt’s shield, was the statue of a tiny girl, no older than three. Her face was also one of terror, a full scream.  
Robbie’s blood ran cold, and an idea popped up in his mind. A terrifying idea.  
“ _N-No, that couldn’t be it. Couldn’t, that’d be too out there. It’s just…a coincidence._ ” Robbie assured himself weakly. Nevertheless, he got up and gently placed the doll near the girl statue’s foot.  
Trixie, noticing Robbie’s uneasiness, paused her search.  
“Robbie? Is…Is everything okay?” She asked nervously.  
Robbie pursed his lips.  
“I’m…not sure. I just thought of a terrible idea, and I’m hoping it isn’t true.” He said unsteadily.

Meanwhile, Stingy and Pixel searched around the furthest group of statues.  
“You know, I can’t help but notice that all these statues look pretty shocked.” Pixel noted quietly. “Like they’re looking at something _horrible_. Stingy, do you think that means anything?”  
“That the sculptor couldn’t sculpt a second expression?” noted Stingy snarkily as he searched around a knight’s statue.  
“Stingy, I’m _serious_.” Pixel said with a frown. “These statues are really creepy. Almost TOO realistic. Doesn’t that seem weird to you?”  
“I’m really not paying attention to the statues, Pixel.” Sighed Stingy. “We’re not here for that. We’re here to look for Sportacus. If we start wondering why all the statues have the same expression, we’ll never get home!”  
Pixel pursed his lips.  
“I mean, I guess you’re right. It’s still creepy though.” He noted softly.  
“Well the faster we find Sportacus, the faster we can leave the creepy statues.” Stingy said in annoyance.  
“Fine, you’re right. I’ll keep searching this way.” Said Pixel, pointing forward.  
“Okay, sounds good.” Stingy said.  
As Pixel walked away, Stingy started after his friend before he stopped, spotting something shimmery on the ground.

“Oh? What do we have here?” Stingy mused to himself, crouching down. Digging through the grass and dirt, he gasped as he picked up one, shining gold coin.  
“Is this??” He said excitedly, scrutinizing the coin further. “It is!”  
He glanced around the ground excitedly, hoping for more gold coins. Indeed, there were more in a tiny pile by the foot of one statue.  
“Oh Stingy, this is your lucky day!” He said to himself giddily.  
“Stingy! What’re you doing over there? Did you find something?” said Pixel.  
Stingy froze, fumbling through his thoughts before answering.  
“Oh, uh, no not yet. I’m just, um, searching more closely.” Stingy said clumsily.  
Pixel gave him a suspicious look before sighing.  
“Alright, but hurry up. We have a lot of ground to cover tonight.” Said Pixel as he kept moving forward.  
“Oh, I’ll hurry.” Said Stingy, before he turned back to the pile of gold coins. “But _not_ before I collect you beauties to store safely in Piggy!”  
Stingy giggled to himself as he picked up piece after piece of gold, scrutinizing each one before he stuffed them into his pocket.  
“I’d say these look about…14th century?” He mused to himself.  
He gasped.  
“T-These are worth a fortune! Oh, I surely hope there are more!” Stingy said with a grin.  
He plucked coin after coin and stuffed them into his pockets, slowly crawling further towards a darker corner. Much to his disappointment, the trail of gold coins ended, with the last one laying in a puddle of pale blue liquid.  
He grimaced. The liquid definitely didn’t look like water.  
“Ew, do I really want to get that coin?” He asked himself.  
The coin shimmered in the liquid.  
Stingy groaned.  
“The lengths I must go to give these precious coins protection!” He said as he dipped his hand into the liquid.

As he fished around, grabbing the coin, he could’ve sworn he heard something.  
A something that was low and rumbling.  
Stingy stopped, the hairs on his neck standing up in alarm.  
“P…Pixel? Was that your stomach?” He asked uneasily.  
He heard no reply from his friend. Instead, he heard another growl, as well as the crunching of grass directly in front of him.  
Stingy gulped.  
“S-Stephanie? R-Robbie? Is that you?” He asked softly, as he slowly turned towards the noise.  
The first thing he saw was a foot, a clawed foot, colored a sickly gray-green. Its clawed toes dug deep into the soil, widening the pool of unknown liquid.  
Stingy’s pupils shrunk, his face paling as he watched more of the liquid drip into the already existing pool.  
Shivering and quaking, Stingy’s eyes trailed up, tracing up the silhouetted form that lingered so close to him.  
His eyes locked onto another pair of eyes, golden and glowing in the shadows.  
“W-W-What - ?” Stingy squeaked.

The creature took one step forward, its eyes still locked onto Stingy’s, and it let out a wailing screech.

Stingy did the only thing he could do as the creature drew close.

He screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so SO sorry for leaving you guys on a cliffhanger, but I promise to give the next chapter soon. Things are gonna start getting busy again this well, but I will devote time to this fic. Trust me, I want you guys to know what happens as much as you guys do. Either way, I hope you're all excited for the horror element to start kicking in soon!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

“Robbie? Is…Is everything okay?” Trixie asked nervously.  
Robbie pursed his lips.  
“Well, I’m not sure. I just thought of a horrible idea, and I’m hoping it’s not true…” He said unsteadily.  
Trixie stepped closer, her brow furrowed.  
“What exactly are you thinking?” She asked.  
Robbie winced and glanced back at the statue.  
“Just…I found a doll right here, and there’s a little girl statue over there.” He noted.  
Trixie’s face paled slightly. Something within her created the same conclusion, but she didn’t want to acknowledge it as a possibility.  
“S-So, what would that mean?” She asked.  
Robbie sighed.  
“Well, I-I don’t want to say it, but it could mean – “

An ear-piercing scream filled the air, mixing with a ghostly, inhuman wail, before the scream fell silent, being completely swallowed by the wail.

Robbie and Trixie about-faced towards the noise, their eyes widening.  
“Robbie! What was that?? Was that one of us?” She asked uneasily.  
Before Robbie could answer, he was nearly knocked aside as Stephanie ran forward.  
“That sounded like Stingy! Come on, I think he’s in trouble!” She yelled as she sprinted, with Ziggy running as closely as he could.  
Trixie ran ahead with Robbie following, him panting as they ran. He really had been hoping that no running would be necessary that day. He supposed that, in hindsight, that was an unlikely hope.  
The group was joined by Pixel as they ran towards where they’d heard Stingy’s scream. Something darted up from the shadows and behind a pillar, causing Robbie to stop in his tracks.  
“W…What was that??” He asked in shock.  
“He was over here last! It had to be him!” shouted Pixel, pointing towards the corner.  
Robbie looked one last time at the pillar before he reluctantly joined the group.  
Stephanie was at the front of the group when she stopped and gasped loudly. Her hands flew up to her mouth, covering it as she stared, her knees shaking.  
“Stephanie? Stephanie, what’s wrong?” Pixel running up next to her.  
He looked where Stephanie was staring, and he gasped as well.  
“Holy…” He muttered, his hands falling to his sides.  
Trixie and Ziggy ran up next. Trixie stared in shock while Ziggy seemed to be using all his might to suppress a scream, his body quaking.  
Robbie finally caught up last, and he too gasped in horror at the sight.

Stingy was on the ground, stuck in what appeared to be a desperate, backwards crabwalk. His hand was outstretched in front of him, like he was begging something to halt. His mouth was frozen in a scream, his eyes locked wide and frightened. His skin had been turned a pale gray, along with the rest of his hair and clothes.  
In other words…  
“He’s been…been turned into…” Stephanie stuttered, tears building in her eyes.  
Robbie gulped down a breath, his skin a sickly pale color with terror.  
“…a statue.” He said quietly.  
The four kids shivered and trembled, with Trixie and Pixel taking a step back.  
“But…But that’s impossible! That only happens in storybooks, not…not real life.” Trixie said, shaking her head.  
Pixel looked up at Robbie.  
“This is a joke, right? Someone is just playing a cruel prank, right? People don’t…they can’t…” He said, his composure faltering.  
Robbie’s mouth felt dry as sandpaper as he tried to search for the words. The truth of the situation conflicted with what he wanted to believe, and it pained him to confirm such a horrifying, implausible situation. But he had to say _something_. The children were borderline in tears.  
Sharply taking a breath, he shook his head.  
“I…I can’t say this is a prank. It…It looks too lifelike. It’s even wearing his scout uniform.” Robbie said, his hand covering his mouth unconsciously.  
Pixel shuddered, and his gaze turned slowly back to the statue of his friend.  
“How could this happen? How…How do people just turn into _stone_?” said Stephanie, her voice quivering.  
Pixel pulled out his wrist device and scanned Stingy’s statue, searching for any sign that this statue couldn’t be his friend.  
The device beeped and displayed a long list of data, which Pixel skimmed through.  
“Guys, Robbie’s right. According to my reading, Stingy _is_ there, somehow.” He said softly.  
“T-Then we need to get him out! We can’t leave him there!” Ziggy said frantically, charging towards the statue.  
“Ziggy, hold it! He’s not _literally_ trapped in there!” Pixel said, yanking on the back of the boy’s collar.  
“Then _how_ is he trapped, Pixel? And is there anything we can do to help?” Trixie asked.  
Pixel tapped at his device.  
“It’s complicated, but…it’s like Stingy is there. His essence or energy at least. But his body…his body _is_ the stone statue.” Pixel explained.  
“Is he alive?” asked Stephanie in a near whisper.  
Pixel looked at her with an uneasy expression.  
“I…I think so. I really don’t know, but…but I think we just have to say he’s alive. I don’t want to consider anything else.” He admitted, his own voice shaking.

Stephanie prepared to ask one more thing, when she was nearly sent toppling to the ground by a howling screech.  
The group turned in unison towards the far wall, their gazes fixed to a lumpy form cloaked in shadow. Peering from the darkness was a pair of golden, glowing eyes. It uttered one more shriek and, peeking from the shadows, it stretched its wide, leathery wings.  
The kids took a step back, uttering whimpers and gasps.  
“R-Robbie?” asked Ziggy.  
Robbie gulped and looked away.  
“ _Run._ ” He hissed, before taking off in the other direction.  
The kids, as quickly as they could, ran after the villain. The creature uttered another gargled wail before it took off into the sky, the children hearing its wings flapping in the air.  
Stephanie’s heart was beating out of her chest as she sprinted and tripped, her mind buzzing with terror and adrenaline. She panted as she ran, her arms swinging as she desperately tried to assure herself of her safety.  
“Woah - !” She gasped, as she felt herself be forcefully tugged to the direct right.  
Robbie pulled her close and hushed her harshly, sending a fearful gaze to the area right behind them. Pixel, Trixie, and Ziggy darted off to their hiding spot as well, clumping together in a small group.  
“Robbie, what is that – “Trixie started.  
“Shush!” Robbie hissed, his gaze fixed on the opening. He pulled the kids further back and behind a decorative column on the ruined building.

From behind their spot, they heard claws meeting soil and a rhythm of labored breaths. Robbie could hear the creature huff and sniff, a low growl permeating the air. Robbie could feel his heart beat out of his chest, beating in his ears. His trembling hands pulled the kids closer, while he silently prayed that nothing would make the slightest sound. Something told him this monster’s hearing was far better than he could imagine.  
Ziggy trembled terribly, like a leaf in a storm, and stayed close to Trixie. He jumped as he heard the monster utter a bark-like sound, its claws clicking against the ground.  
Shaking, Ziggy slowly peeked around the corner, his curiosity begging him to take just one peek at the creature. He barely had glanced around the corner when he froze, finally catching a glimpse of the beast.  
The beast’s form was a terrifying and confusing contradiction of features and physical attributes. Its body, despite its lumpy and sagging skin, seemed to cling to its bones much like clothes on a skeleton, all gray with little to no firmness. Jutting from nearly every inch of its skin were clusters of painful looking thorns, just like the ones on blackberry bushes, and what wasn’t covered in thorns looked leathery yet damp in the moonlight. Its claws, yellowed and long, dug at the earth while its browned wings flittered in the cool air. Its face was thankfully hidden behind a bush of blood red hair that seemed so tangled it’d put a nest to shame. Topping off the beast’s terrifying appearance was a long, lizard-like tail that ended with a tuft of similarly colored hair.  
The tail twitched and dusted the ground while the creature growled and hissed, burying its muzzle through the miniature maze of statues and broken columns. Its tail brushed against three different statues, causing the monster to visibly halt and tense. Ziggy heard the beast utter a low grumble, and watched as its tail tensed and twitched. Without warning, Ziggy watched in horror as the tail reared back and swung in a curve, colliding harshly with the three statues.  
Instantly, the statues shattered in large chunks, with the upper torsos of the statues crashing to the ground with low thuds.  
Ziggy shuddered and gasped at the sight, before he was tugged forcefully back.  
“What are you doing? Do you want to be caught??” Robbie whispered through gritted teeth.  
“I-It’s horrible, Robbie. It…It destroyed those statues…” Ziggy said anxiously, his eyes watering.  
The other kids looked similarly horrified, with Stephanie covering her mouth in shock.  
“T-That is terrible, but we have to be quiet! We can’t let that thing – “Robbie started.

They heard the monster shift, and utter a high-pitched noise of alarm. Following the noise, the group was nearly knocked to the ground as it wailed horribly, a sound not quite animal yet something else.

“ _Run and don’t look back no matter what you do!_ ” Robbie hissed as he dove forward first, pulling the two girls along with him.  
The kids kept their eyes averted to the ground, no matter how much their morbid curiosity begged them, and away from the monster. They forced themselves to stare at their feet, even as they heard the beast’s wings beat at the air, and the unnatural howl it unleashed.  
“Robbie! Where are we going?!” Trixie yelled unintentionally.  
“Anywhere but here! We need to find someplace it can’t go!” Robbie shouted back, picking up the pace even as his chest started to hurt.  
The monster screeched, and the group heard its wings draw closer, the beat of its wings growing louder and louder.  
“DUCK!” shouted Pixel, and the group dove to the ground.  
Slamming face forward, Robbie could feel the beast’s claws just narrowly graze across the top of his hair. He burrowed his face downwards as he heard the beast land ungracefully and utter a pained whine before its claws clicked against the cobblestone.  
Panting, Robbie looked off to his left and, luckily, noticed a smaller ruin off a few feet away.  
“Everyone, keep your eyes on the ground and run to my left!” Robbie stated, scrambling to his feet.  
Each of the kids stumbled to their feet and ran after the villain, scrambling across the overgrown path. Ziggy yelped as he heard the beast roar and trot after them, another ear-piercing wail echoing through the air.  
“It’s right behind us! Robbie! HELP!” Ziggy cried.  
“Keep going, kid! Just a few feet more!” Robbie yelled back, not looking away.  
The area around them darkened as the creature flew up once more, its shadow cast across the ground.  
“Through there!” Robbie shouted, pointing at a barely standing archway.  
The creature screeched and dove forward, Robbie forcing himself to pick up the speed once more. His legs were screaming as he rushed through the archway and into the remnants of the house. The children followed suit, just in time to avoid being snatched by the creature. Instead, the monster slammed into the top of the archway, uttering a shrieking cry as the wall groaned against its collision.  
Robbie looked back only long enough to see the monster topple to the ground and shakily stand to its feet. In that moment, he caught a glimpse of the monster’s face. Somehow, it was worse than what the rest of it looked like. The same slimy, moist skin composed its “face”, but it was difficult to tell where each part of it began and ended. Its eyes, closed at the time, bulged unnaturally from its lumpy face, like the goldfish he’d seen at the pet store. Seven long, spiraling horns curled from its forehead, framed by a pair of lopsided ears. Its lumpy, malformed face nearly hid its long snout, framed by a set of gnarled teeth that peeked past its gums.  
It was so horrifying, Robbie found himself unable to look away. He stared in stunned horror at the beast, so fixated by the absolute ugliness it held.  
“Robbie! Robbie, we found a crawlspace! The monster can’t reach us in there, come on!” said Stephanie in a begging voice as she tugged at his arm.

That seemed to do it, as Robbie blinked and finally remembered the situation they were in. Forcing himself to look away, he ducked into the crawl space as the monster finally regained its composure and started looking around once more.

\--

The crawlspace was just big enough for the five of them and, most likely, had been formed by the part of the collapsed house. It was dark and musty smelling, the “floor” covered in dust and dirt. The hole used to enter was barely big enough for the adult Robbie to sneak through, but somehow, he managed it. It also seemed that, luckily enough, the creature had failed to see where the group had escaped to. They heard the monster prowl around for an additional few minutes, its claws digging through the earth and a low growl uttered through its teeth. The group nearly held their breath as they kept as still as possible. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they heard the monster’s leathery wings beat and its howls grow quiet. The silence of the late night fell once more.  
And finally, Robbie let the breath he’d held in out, and sunk against the wall wearily.  
“O-Okay, I think we’re safe for now.” He said tiredly, covering his eyes with his arm.  
When he heard no response, he lowered his arm, only to be greeted by the distressed expressions of the children. Stephanie sat on the ground, visibly trembling, her eyes directed at the ground. Trixie and Pixel sat near each other, looking at each other wearily with distant gazes. Ziggy played with a pebble on the floor, sniffling quietly.  
Robbie’s face fell.  
“Um, are you all okay?” He asked, knowing immediately how stupid of a question it was.  
All four kids looked up, their gazes distant and tired. Robbie cringed and sat on the ground.  
“Okay, bad question. Umm… _what would Sportacus do_ …” Robbie started uneasily.  
“Robbie,” Stephanie finally asked, her voice soft. “that monster…what it did to Stingy. Is it…p-permanent?”  
Robbie paused, his heart sinking. He looked down and sighed.  
Stephanie shivered once she saw how Robbie’s expression shifted.  
“Oh.” She said, her voice quivering.  
“I-I don’t know. I don’t have any knowledge of magic or monsters or…or _anything_ like this. I know about the same as all of you know.” Robbie said, trying to reassure the girl.  
Stephanie nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on the ground.

“Oh geez.” Robbie said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Appeasing and assuaging people’s concerns was not one of his strong points, and he figured that even people good at that would struggle in this situation.  
“Robbie, why is that monster in LazyTown? Why is this castle here? I know we have _one_ castle, but we definitely don’t have _two_.” Pixel asked, trying to keep his composure.  
Robbie stopped and looked up at the child. He bit his lip and looked uneasy.  
Trixie frowned once she noticed Robbie’s hesitation.  
“Robbie, is there something you’re not telling us? Do you know something we don’t know?” Trixie asked pointedly.  
Robbie glanced at Stephanie before looking at the group, sighing deeply.  
“Okay, there’s maybe a few things I know that you all don’t know.” Robbie said. “Back in LazyTown, before Sportacus left, he received a letter from…from his bosses. They asked him to deal with a dangerous creature that appeared in the LazyTown woods.”  
“His bosses? Who?” asked Trixie.  
“They’re this council of heroes like him. They supervise the other heroes and assign missions. Most of their missions are like the one Sportacus received.”  
“Wait, has this been going on for a while? Why didn’t we know about this?” asked Trixie angrily.  
Robbie crooked the corner of his mouth.  
“Well, it’s been going on long before he came to town. And…now don’t quote me on this, but I bet he didn’t, you know, want you all to worry. These aren’t light missions as you might’ve guessed.” He said uncertainly, wondering what Sportacus would’ve _actually_ said in this situation.  
The kids paused, looking at each other with dubious belief.  
“That does make sense. I mean, _I’d_ worry if I knew he was fighting scary monsters like that thing.” Ziggy finally said, pointing at the hole.  
Pixel nodded.  
“Same here. I don’t think I’d be okay knowing Sportacus is hunting monsters. He’s our friend! I don’t want to think about him getting hurt.” Stephanie admitted.  
Trixie frowned and shook her head.  
“Fine, so we would’ve worried, but how did _you_ know about all this? Why did he tell _you_ before the rest of us? We’re his friends, and you’re his nemesis! We deserve to know more than you!” She said, nearly spitting.  
Robbie frowned.  
“Please, you really think I’m still his nemesis? You haven’t noticed how I’ve scaled back my contraptions and schemes? I don’t know about you kids, but as a villain with high standards, it’s been tough to hold back. But I’m not particularly interested in harming Sportaloon anymore, if you haven’t guessed.”  
“Wait…are you and Sportacus _friends_ now?” asked Ziggy curiously.  
Robbie shrugged, hoping to hide the color of his cheeks.  
“Yeah, you could say that.”  
“I don’t believe you.” Trixie stated flatly.  
Robbie gave the girl a look.  
“You really are doubting our friendship when there’s a monster outside that turns people into statues?” He asked.  
Trixie frowned stubbornly, crossing her arms as she considered the situation. She grumbled as she finally relented.  
“Fine, I guess I believe you. And I guess it does make at least _some_ sense. You have been pretty sloppy lately.”  
“Thanks Tricky.” Grumbled Robbie.  
“Yeah, and it makes sense why Sportacus was visiting you on occasion.” Pixel added.  
“And you know that _how_?” asked Robbie.  
“My cameras!” Pixel said, before his happy expression faded. “…Yeah, I guess that wasn’t cool. I wasn’t spying on you or anything, I just saw that by accident. I noticed him heading towards your billboard a lot.”  
“Yeah, enough that Stephanie thought you two might be _dating_.” Trixie said with a snicker, gesturing to the embarrassed Stephanie.

The kids chuckled for a moment at the idea before they noticed Robbie not laughing. Instead, he seemed a bit more flustered, his face visibly red even in the poor lighting.

“Wait, are you?” Pixel asked.  
Robbie gave a non-committal noise and looked away.  
“Woah, he is!” Pixel said with a surprised look.  
Trixie stared in disbelief.  
“Weren’t we trying to be quiet so that monster doesn’t show up?” Robbie said with a look.  
“At least him looking for Sportacus makes more sense.” Ziggy said thoughtfully.  
Trixie, finally processing and accepting this strange turn of events, smirked and teasingly elbowed the villain.  
“How romantic! You’re off to save your crush from the big bad monster!” She said sarcastically, sticking out her tongue.  
“You’re such a brat, you know that?” Robbie said with a glare.  
“It’s part of my job. Besides, you’ve been rude to us for _years_. I should get a turn in at least once as payback.” Trixie replied.  
Stephanie gave a weak smile.  
“You have to admit Robbie, it is kind of sweet.” She said.  
Robbie looked over at her and gave a small smile in return.  
“I guess.” He admitted, his expression shrinking.  
The kids’ own expressions fell.  
“Robbie, do you think…I mean I hope not but…has Sportacus been – “Ziggy started.  
“N-No.” Robbie said, shaking his head. “No, no, no he’ll be fine. I’m sure he’s fine. He wouldn’t go down without a fight. I know that.”  
He sighed.  
“He’s completed countless missions like this one, and every time he comes home safely. I just bet this one is a little tougher than the others, and when we find him, he’ll be in one piece and perfectly okay.”  
“But you don’t think - ?” Pixel asked.  
“ _No_.” said Robbie firmly. “Now…Now let’s not think about that.”  
He looked up through the gap at the sky.  
“I think it might be best if we try and get some rest. We’ll take some shifts with guard duty. I’ll take first shift.”

The kids looked at each other uneasily before they finally relented. Digging through their packs, they pulled out their bed rolls and blankets, laying them out in a rough circle. Each crawled into their sleeping bags, all looking too unsettled to sleep.

Stephanie looked up from her bag.

“Are you sure you don’t want one of us to take first shift? You look exhausted.” She asked.

Robbie waved off her concern, his gaze never leaving the gap.

“I’ll be fine. You munchkins get your beauty sleep.”

Stephanie was unconvinced, but felt too tired to argue. Instead, she crawled into her sleeping bag and attempted to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the first of hopefully a series of one chapters that is mostly a chase scene, though I can't promise there won't be more chase scenes in the future. I'll admit, the last exchange between Robbie and the kids might get tweaked in the future. I haven't been able to get it to sound just right, but I think it's at least okay. I'll probably return to it at some point as the chapters get more developed.
> 
> I know this is a short chapter and a quick update, but I didn't want to leave you all too long on a cliffhanger, and I'm excited to get more of the story out to you all XD
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

_It was raining outside, loudly enough that the rain struck the soil with a rattle-like noise. In other words, it was the kind of day that no sane human would spend outside.  
Robbie was one of these sane people, naturally.  
As the rain fell hard, Robbie curled up in his fluffy, orange armchair and flipped the next page of his book: Laziness for Dummies.  
He smiled and hummed to himself as he skimmed over the chapter.  
“The best thing to remember when being lazy is to not do anything without necessity! What great advice!” Robbie said with a grin as he tapped the page.  
He chuckled as he took a sip of his hot chocolate, and pulled the blanket over him once more.  
“Now on to chapter five: Laziness in a Group Setting!” He said to himself, flipping to the next chapter._

_There was a knock at the door._

_Robbie looked up from his book and furrowed his brow.  
A knock at the door?_

_There was another knock._

_But he didn’t have a door?  
Robbie set down his book and, finally, noticed that his lair didn’t look quite right.  
For one, he didn’t remember having carpeting in his lair.  
Nor did he remember having windows to look outside with.  
Nor a front door.  
Nor a fireplace.  
Nor walls painted a pale, peach color._

_There was another knock._

_“Uh…I’m coming. Just a second.” He said uneasily, slowing standing from his chair.  
Another knock.  
Robbie crossed over from his living room to the front door. He tried to peek through the peekhole first, but saw nothing. Yet there was another knock. Much louder, more insistent.  
“Who…Who is it?” He asked.  
Nothing.  
The wind was howling.  
Robbie hesitated, waiting as silence fell save for the wind.  
Then, another knock, the most insistent of all of them.  
“A-Alright! I’ll open the door!” Robbie said, fumbling with the door knob.  
He threw open the door, to be greeted by an endless darkness.  
A mist curled around his stoop, and the wind was howling louder.  
Rain continued to fall, but it ended two feet from his stoop. As if it were stopped by an invisible wall.  
Robbie shivered, and took one step from his doorway.  
“H-Hello?” He asked.  
Nothing.  
Robbie, completely unsettled, turned to walk back into his house, bracing himself against the door._

_“R-Robbie…”A voice croaked.  
Robbie froze. That voice, as strained as it was, was immediately recognizable. And he hoped, against all hopes, that it wasn’t _ his _voice.  
He turned slowly on his heel, reluctantly facing back towards the endless darkness. As soon as he saw him, the blood rushed from his face and he instantly felt dizzy.  
The voice, indeed, belonged to Sportacus, as he’d guessed.   
But…oh lord this was terrible. Absolutely terrible.   
It threw Robbie back to the worst of the nights after Sportacus would return from a mission.  
The elf stood there…well “stood” wouldn’t be an appropriate word. He limped, he staggered, he nearly _ crawled _there. There seemed to be blood oozing from an impossibly huge number of gashes and cuts, dripping down his arms and legs. His uniform was either a mess of shredded fabric or blue stained purple with blood. What wasn’t bleeding was dotted with bruises in a gruesome rainbow of blue, purple, green, yellow, and red. The hero stared with a thousand-yard stare at his villain, his face not just a mess of bruises and cuts, but also tears. The man looked spent, and seemed to be seconds away from collapsing onto the pavement.  
Robbie knew that, thus was prepared to dash as soon as Sportacus’s legs buckled.  
“Sportacus!” He cried, carefully pulling the hero close. He winced as he looked over the countless number of gashes, lacerations, and bruises. Would he even have enough bandages for this?  
“R-Robbie…” Sportacus gasped, choking out a sputter of blood.  
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay, you’re safe. You’re back home. What…oh gods what did this to you?” Robbie said, rubbing the hero’s scalp reassuringly.  
“I-I’m sorry. I…I wasn’t ready…” Sportacus barely managed to utter, his legs drawing close to his chest.  
“N-No, Sportacus, don’t do that. You might bleed more.” Robbie said quietly, gently guiding the legs back flat. “Sportacus, what do you mean? What weren’t you ready for?”_

_Before the hero could answer, a glass-shattering, inhuman screech broke through the air, and the rain instantly stopped falling.  
Something thudded against the ground, shaking the earth with every step. Sportacus’s gaze snapped towards the darkness, and Robbie’s hesitantly followed.  
Its eyes were visible first, glowing a sickly yellow in the dark. A claw was visible next, sickly gray with long, yellowed claws, and skin broken with thorns poking painfully out. The beast growled, and stared hungrily at the wounded hero.  
Robbie quickly realized what it wanted, and worked to feverishly drag Sportacus towards the door.  
“Sportacus, I know this might be asking a lot, but I need you to stand. The door’s right there, i-if we run we’ll make it.” Said Robbie as he attempted to lift Sportacus.  
Sportacus, however, was dead weight. He didn’t even attempt to budge.  
“S-Sportacus, no, s-stop staring at the monster. P-PLEASE, Sportacus you have…you have to get up! It’s getting _ closer _PLEASE Sportacus, you have to stand!” Robbie begged desperately, as the creature drew closer.  
“It’s here, Robbie. It’s come for – “Sportacus said in a near whisper.  
In a split second, the monster’s arm sprawled across the lawn, snaking through the grasses in a zig-zag pattern. Its claws and thorns dug into Sportacus’s ankle and yanked him backwards, free from Robbie’s hold. Robbie tumbled forward as he was.  
Sportacus let out a pained cry as his chest slammed back into the ground. With a pained look, he stared back up at Robbie.  
“ROBBIE!” He cried.  
“Sportacus! Hang on!” Robbie screamed, scrambling to his feet._

_The monster’s gaze instantly snapped up, and its glowing gaze bore deep into Robbie’s eyes. He had been unlucky enough to glance in the directions of the monster’s face as he ran, and now he found himself frozen in place. The monster gurgled and hissed, stepping forward into the light. Robbie couldn’t hold back a horrified gasp as he was forced to stare at the monster’s tumorous, misshapen muzzle and face. His mouth went dry, and he was so distracted that he almost missed the sound of some crackling and growing louder.  
His eyes fell to his feet, and he could only utter a pained noise as he noticed his foot and his lower leg be eclipsed by a dull gray color, and how he lost sensation in both legs.  
“N-No! This isn’t fair! I…SPORTACUS!” Robbie yelled, forcing his body to move forward even as the stony curse crawled up past his knees.  
The monster, as if toying with the villain, would pull Sportacus away each time the villain drew close. Robbie cried out in frustrated as he forced himself to move, until the cursed passed his waist. He could only watch helplessly as Sportacus was dragged back into the darkness.  
“ROBBIE!” Sportacus wailed.  
“SPORTACUS! I…MONSTER! DON’T YOU DARE PUT A CLAW ON HIM! YOU SICK…TERRIBLE…” Robbie shouted, tears rolling down his face as the curse climbed past his arms.  
“ROBB – “Sportacus cried, his voice cut off as the monster’s other hand clamped over his mouth, right before he was dragged deep into the darkness._

_Fat tears rolled down Robbie’s face as he could only watch, the curse crawling and crackling up past his neck.  
“S-Sportacus…” He stuttered, his voice strained. “no…no no I’m so sorry…”  
The crackling grew past his ears, and Robbie’s vision began to fade.  
“I-I’m sorry…”_

\--

Stephanie yawned as her little wristwatch beeped. She’d set an alarm for her guard shift, ensuring she wouldn’t sleep through it. Stretching her arms above her head, Stephanie slipped out of her sleeping bag and straightened out her uniform. Rubbing her eyes, she walked carefully towards the hole, tiptoeing past her sleeping friends. She approached Robbie who, not to her surprise, had fallen asleep during his guard shift.  
She could only be thankful that the monster _hadn’t_ found their hiding place during his shift.  
As she drew closer, however, she could hear something from Robbie. She furrowed her brow and snuck closer, finally noticing how Robbie shook and trembled.  
She noticed how his face was screwed into a pained expression, and how he uttered fearful whines and whimpers, tears rolling down his cheeks.  
Stephanie’s brow raised. He…He was having a nightmare?  
Stephanie bent down and shook Robbie’s shoulder.  
“Robbie!” She said in a near whisper.  
Robbie didn’t budge.  
Biting her lip, Stephanie shook the villain harder.  
“Robbie! Wake up!” She said insistently.

With that, Robbie shot upright, sending Stephanie nearly stumbling backwards. Drops of sweat rolled down Robbie’s forehead, his eyes fixed wide open and pupils shrunken. His gaze darted about, scanning the room intently. After a few checks of the room, Robbie slowly lifted his hands, watching how they trembled and shook violently. He gasped, his heart beating out of his chest.  
“Robbie?” asked Stephanie quietly.  
Robbie slowly turned to look at the girl, his breathing still a series of gasps.  
“It’s okay. You were just having a nightmare. We’re okay. Try to breathe.” She said softly, sitting patiently.  
“I-I…” Robbie gasped.  
“It’s okay, just try to breathe. Count to five on the inhale, ten on the exhale. Just follow me.” Stephanie said with a small smile.  
Robbie, tears mixing with his sweat, nodded silently. He watched as Stephanie took an exaggerated breath, and he followed suit.  
Stephanie paused for a moment, tapping her fingers against her thigh, until she finally exhaled, her eyes fluttering closed.  
Robbie followed her example and, slowly, he felt his heart’s frantic beat slow.  
Again and again, Stephanie led Robbie through the exercise. With each attempt, Robbie felt his shivers slow to only an occasional shake. The sweat finally stilled yet the tears were still there. Still, he began to feel calmer.  
“Feeling better?” asked Stephanie.  
Robbie nodded.  
“M-Much.” He said. He shivered and gave a weak smile. “I-I didn’t, uh, think you’d know how to handle something like that.”  
“My mom would sometimes have panic attacks. I learned all that from her.” Stephanie said with a smile. “I’m just glad it was helpful for you.”  
“I may have to steal that idea from you. It did help.” Robbie said, more tears rolling down his face.  
Stephanie’s smile faded as she noticed Robbie still shivering.  
“So…what exactly were you dreaming about?” She asked.

Robbie froze and hiccupped, his gaze growing distant.  
“O-Or, if you’re not ready, that’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it.” Stephanie said quickly.  
Robbie shook his head.  
“No, I…I just saw Sportacus in my dream.” He started.  
He wrapped his arms around himself.  
“I…I saw him bleeding. He was bleeding so much, worse I’ve ever seen. A-And, there was the monster. It took him, a-and I wanted to help him but…I couldn’t.” Robbie stuttered.  
A small smile crossed his face and he gave a weary laugh.  
“Terrible, what Sportacus looked like in my dream? I’ve seen him close to that. It was…only slightly worse than the worst I’ve seen him.” He said with a pained expression. He looked over at Stephanie. “Isn’t that awful?”  
Stephanie’s face paled, and her gaze drifted to the ground.  
“It is.” She admitted quietly. “I’m so sorry, Robbie. That must’ve been terrible.”  
Robbie sniffed and nodded.  
“On the bright side, I guess I’ve gotten better at stitching up gashes.” He said weakly.  
“But you shouldn’t have to!” Stephanie protested. “This isn’t right! He…Sportacus _knows_ how much this is hurting you, right?”  
“Of course, Pinky. But there’s nothing he could do. This is work mandated by his council.” Robbie explained wearily. “He actually said he was going to try requesting less missions when he came back from his one.”  
Robbie’s eyes drifted to the floor.  
“ _If_ he comes back from this one.” Robbie said near silently.

Stephanie, unsure what to do, watched as the villain grew close to tears once more. Then, she decided simply to try something.  
Carefully and gently, she hugged Robbie, catching the villain by surprise.  
“I-I’m sorry if you don’t like hugs Robbie, but I’ve always heard that they can help people feel better.” Stephanie explained, her voice partly muffled by Robbie’s vest.  
Robbie, initially tense, eventually loosened up and, while not returning the girl’s hug, he did pat her on the head.  
“T-Thank you, Pinky.” He said with a smile.  
“You’re welcome, Robbie.” Stephanie responded. “And don’t worry, we’ll find him. It’s like you said, he’s out there. And I bet he’ll be super happy to see us.”  
“Yeah.” Robbie said, feeling better. “I…I think you’re right.”

Stephanie yawned.  
“You should probably go back to sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day again.” Robbie noted.  
Stephanie nodded blearily.  
“But what if you have another nightmare? Will you be okay?” She asked.  
“Trust me Pinky, I’ll be okay. Now nighty-night.” Robbie said/  
Stephanie shook her head and chuckled before walking carefully back to her sleeping bag.  
Robbie, now settled once more, looked out the hole at the starry night sky. He wondered for a moment if Sportacus was looking at the sky right now.  
A few minutes later, the villain had fallen asleep once more, his sleep fitful but dreamless.

\--

The sun was barely peeking over the tops of the walls when Pixel woke for his shift. He’d been fortunate enough to pull the lucky straw in the draw, thus he got to sleep the longest uninterrupted. Still, most definitely due to the events of yesterday, he was very draggy getting out of his sleeping bag. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he lumbered towards the hole. He paused only for a moment, noticing that Trixie had kicked off her sleeping bag in her sleep. He took a quick second to gently toss a blanket over her before he took his post.  
The first thing Pixel noticed, though he wasn’t sure why he noticed it, was that there seemed to be more rubble around the floor of the abandoned building. Admittedly, the floor was never clear, but there seemed to be signs of a disturbance.  
He shivered, knowing there was only one thing that could’ve caused such a disturbance.  
The second thing was the high-pitched whine that sounded so familiar to Pixel, but he wasn’t sure why. It sounded like a mechanical chirp, and it beeped in a constant rhythm.  
“ _That sound…why do I recognize it?_ ” thought Pixel.  
Then, it clicked. And his face paled.  
“ _Sportacus’s crystal. That’s exactly what it sounds like_.” Pixel realized. He soon started looking over the area, trying to see where the crystal might be.  
He got his answer once he noticed a bright flash of blue emanating from a darkened corner. The crystal beeped and blared, shining its blue distress signal over and over again, waiting for a response.  
Pixel was about to step out of the safety of their barricade before he stopped.  
“ _Wait, I’d better do a quick scan of the area. Make sure this isn’t a trap._ ” He thought, nodding.  
He punched a few buttons onto his wrist device and pointed it towards the open floor. The device whirred and hummed as a green wave instantly scanned the area. The device thought carefully before spitting back its response.  
_All clear_.  
Pixel bit his lip and looked back at the others, who were still sleeping.  
“Well, this should be quick. Just dart out there, get the crystal, and jump back inside. I’ll keep my eyes on the ground and everything should be fine.” Pixel told himself quietly.  
Nervously, Pixel took his first step out of the hiding place.

His first few steps were uneventful. Pixel didn’t hear anything other than the crunch of his own footsteps. He crept as quickly and quietly as he could towards the bleeping crystal, being especially cautious not to accidentally kick or disrupt any of the rubble. He tried his hardest to continue being careful as he pushed aside some of the rubble, pawing around for the crystal’s holder. He set aside each stone carefully, forming two separate piles.  
Blessedly, the crystal hadn’t been buried deep.  
Less blessedly, Pixel realized that there wasn’t just the crystal buried under the rubble.  
Clinging to the clip on the center back of the crystal was a shredded piece of fabric. It was white, or mostly white, just like Sportacus’s shirt. But it was stained with so much blood, it would be difficult for any outsider to declare the original garment white. It was then that Pixel also noticed the small smudge of dried blood on the device’s casing, and his blood chilled.  
“Sportacus…” Pixel whispered, his face paling.  
He stuffed the compartment with the fabric scrap into his pocket, turning on his heel to book it to the hiding spot.

In hindsight, he would’ve known why he missed the sounds of the monster approaching. Not only did it sneak, but he was so frightened by the sight of the hero’s bloody shirt scrap that he wasn’t paying enough attention to his surroundings.  
But at the moment, Pixel kicked himself internally as he turned and found himself standing face to face with the monster.  
It looked hungrily at the boy, baring its yellowed, mangled teeth in an animalistic style. Its eyes turned and swiveled, their yellow glow tinted a bright green through Pixel’s night vision goggles.  
“O-Oh…” Pixel stuttered as he backed up, unable to look away.  
The monster growled and hissed as it slowly crawled after the boy.  
“I-I…I don’t want to hurt you. N-Not going to just…just please don’t turn me into a statue…” Pixel begged, his eyes watering.  
The monster uttering a low roar before charging forward and pinning Pixel under its claws. Pixel braced himself, narrowly avoiding hitting his head.  
He laid there, stiff as a board, as the monster stared deep into his eyes, drool dripping from its teeth.  
Pixel, unable to do anything else, gave a terrified shriek.  
“HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP!” He screamed.

At the sound of her friend’s scream, Stephanie was instantly woken from her sleep. She shot upwards into a sitting position, her eyes widened with fear as she finally heard the rumbling growl of the monster outside.  
Panicking, Stephanie skittered over to the still sleeping Robbie. Scrambling over, she began furiously shaking Robbie’s shoulder.  
“Robbie! Robbie! Wake up! Pixel’s in trouble!” Stephanie begged urgently.  
Robbie didn’t budge, and simply snored once more.  
“ROBBIE! PLEASE!” Stephanie urged a little louder as she violently shook Robbie’s shoulder and slapped his arm.  
Sputtering, Robbie sat upright and glared at the girl.  
“What?! What’s wrong?” He angrily asked.  
“It’s Pixel! He’s in trouble!” Stephanie said worriedly.  
At this point, Ziggy and Trixie had also woken up, with Trixie moving closer to the hole.  
“Holy crap, it’s got him pinned! H-He isn’t trying to get away!” Trixie said uneasily.  
Robbie, as quickly as he could, scrambled towards the opening and glanced out. The blood drained from his face as soon as he saw the young boy staring straight into the monster’s eyes.  
“PIXEL! DON’T LOOK!” Robbie shouted frantically.  
The monster’s attention snapped over to Robbie, its teeth bared furiously.  
Gasping and cursing under his breath, Robbie fell backwards, pulling Stephanie with him.  
“Ouch!” Stephanie cried as she harshly hit the floor.  
Robbie was too distracted to apologize as his mind feverishly prayed to whatever gods existed that Pixel wouldn’t have the same fate as Stingy.  
“Pixel!” hissed Trixie, who was still by the hole. “Don’t look!”  
But Pixel was too terrified to hear his friend. He gasped, shivered, and sobbed as the monster stared back deep into his eyes and roared. Pixel’s eyes fluttered and his vision darkened, his head hitting back against the pavement.  
“Robbie! We have to do something! P-Pixel looked at the monster!” Ziggy said tearfully.  
“I know, I know! I’m…agh, I don’t know – “Robbie fumbled angrily.  


He paused, his expression lighting up. He had an idea.  


“Pinky, do you have anything reflective? Like a mirror or glass?” Robbie asked quickly.  
Stephanie looked confused.  
“I might, but why…?”  
“Don’t ask! Just hurry! Pixel’s life is at stake now move it!” Robbie ordered, snapping his fingers.  
Stephanie nearly dumped out the entire contents of her pack before she finally found what she was looking for: a small, reflective glass supplied to signal planes in case she got stranded in the woods.  
“Here! What are you going to do with it?” asked Stephanie.  
“With any luck, save Pixel’s life!” responded Robbie quickly as he scampered back to the hole.  
He raised the glass in front of his vision, pointing the reflective side towards the monster. Steeling his nerves, he sucked in a breath.  
“HEY MONSTER! YEAH, THE UGLY, STUPID ONE! THIS WAY!” yelled Robbie.  
The monster hissed and turned around, releasing its grip on Pixel.  
As soon as its eyes met the mirror, the creature let out the most pitiful and ear-piercing howl that devolved into a guttural shriek. It scrambled around, wailing and screaming as it crashed into walls, its wings flapping uselessly, disturbing rubble. It slammed over and over again into the dilapidated walls, sending clouds of dust into the air and nearly knocking one wall over. Robbie sat back, throwing his arms out to protect the children from any flying debris. Finally, the beast found its exit through the hole it’d entered through. Like a fattened lizard, it slunk up and out of the hole, its tail the last to depart.  
If Robbie had had a moment, he might’ve taken a second to breathe and allow the last jitters to leave his body. But, he didn’t have that luxury, so as soon as the monster vanished he was jumping out of the crawlspace and making his way to Pixel.  
He stopped as soon as he reached the boy and brushed away the leftover rubble.  
“He…” He started.  
“Robbie! Is Pixel…?” asked Trixie.  
“He’s fine.” Robbie said, quickly gathering Pixel and lifting him up. “He’s not a statue, he’s just unconscious.”  
“But how? He looked straight at the monster! Shouldn’t he have…?” asked Ziggy.  
“I don’t know, but I’m not in the mood to count our blessings.” Robbie said grimly, glancing at the boy.  
Pixel didn’t react or budge, even as he was lifted upwards.  
Stephanie quickly reached at his neck, pressing two fingers against his neck.  
“He’s alive.” She said quietly, a relieved smile crossing her face.  
Ziggy and Trixie, while shocked, let out a small chuckle of relief, overjoyed at their luck.  
“Maybe I was wrong then. Maybe it _doesn’t_ turn people through its stare?” Robbie pondered.  
“But how else then? And why would it freak out over your mirror trick?” questioned Trixie.  
Robbie bit his lip.  
“True. It did run after it saw itself in the mirror. I’m…I’m not sure then how Pixel’s okay.” He admitted.  
“How _did_ you know that that mirror trick would work?” Ziggy asked.  
“I didn’t.” shrugged Robbie. “I just remember having to read Greek myths in school and I think one of the heroes defeated Medusa that way. I was just lucky.”  
“Man, I need to start paying attention in mythology class then.” Mused Trixie.  
Stephanie smiled and shook her head at her friend’s comment.

A roar erupted through the yard, rattling the few windows left in their frames. The four stiffened in alarm, their eyes directed up towards the ceiling.

“It’s not safe here anymore; it knows about our hiding place. We have to find somewhere else.” Robbie noted.  
“But where? Where will we go?” asked Ziggy.  
Trixie pointed out a window.  
“Looks like the main castle is still partly intact. There _must_ be some hiding places there.” She suggested.  
“But there’s a lot of wide open space! The monster could still reach us!” protested Stephanie.  
Another roar shook the area.  
“I don’t think we have any other options.” Said Robbie. “Stick close together everyone, and we’ll make a run for that big door that way!”   
He pointed towards the broken leftovers of a giant, double door. Multiple statues of knights, guards, and random people surrounded it.  
Robbie started the line, quickly glancing out the doorway for any sign of the monster. It appeared it wasn’t close by.  
“Okay, let’s go!” He said quietly, as he started the careful yet hasty retreat towards the castle doors. The kids kept close like a group of frightened ducklings, their gazes occasionally deviating up towards the sky. They ran out several feet, Robbie still carrying Pixel, without any issue or concern.  
Then they heard something slicing through the sky.  
Ziggy looked up just quickly enough to see the creature divebombing towards them.  
“EVERYONE DUCK!” shouted Ziggy.  
Gasping, everyone in the group slid onto the ground, with Robbie sliding to his side to protect Pixel. The monster’s claws barely grazed against their backs and sides, slicing off half of Trixie’s top pigtail. It shrieked and flapped its wings, climbing upwards.  
“Everyone, GET UP! We’re almost there!” Robbie cried, clambering onto his feet.  
Stephanie got up first, sprinting ahead. Trixie was up next and prepared to run until she heard Ziggy trip behind her.  
“Trixie! I’m stuck! My shoelace is caught!” Ziggy sobbed, tugging at his shoe.  
“Yank off your shoe! Leave it!” begged Trixie, as she saw the monster prepare to dive for her friend.  
Ziggy fumbled and fought with his shoe, struggling to remove it. Trixie watched as the monster swooped downwards, barreling towards both her and Ziggy. Without a second thought, she yanked her slingshot from her pocket and picked the first rock she found on the ground.  
“Beat it, you creepy jerk!” She screamed as she pulled on the sling.  
Releasing the tension, the rock careened through the air and found its target, whacking the beast in the middle of its forehead.

The monster yelped and swung back upwards, missing its target.

Trixie, with the moment gained, pulled Ziggy upright and made a run for the door, leaving the boy’s shoe behind.  
Robbie and Stephanie, who had already propped the door open, hurriedly rushed the two children inside.  
“Get in! Quick!” Robbie urged, pushing Stephanie through the doorway.  
With one last look at the pissed off monster, Robbie ducked inside and slammed the doors shut. Findings a large, wooden beam on the ground, he attempted to lift it upright only to wince at its weight.  
“Hold on just a second!” Stephanie said, digging an apple out of her pocket. She took a large bite right from its middle and chewed on it quickly. Putting the rest back into her pack, Stephanie crouched down and lifted the other side of the beam with ease.  
“Geez, what’s in those sportscandy? Are you sure Sportacus isn’t making you all eat steroids?” Robbie asked with dubious trust.  
“Nope! They’re just that good for you!” said Stephanie with a smile, as she placed the beam through the door handles, effectively barring them inside.  
Robbie crossed his arms and hmphed.  
“Yeah, well, it’s still a lot of rubbish. I don’t care if they help you do all that, I refuse to touch the stuff.” Robbie said defiantly.  
“Alright Robbie.” Stephanie said, rolling her eyes at the villain’s dramatics.

“Hey, guys! I think Pixel’s waking up!” Trixie called from her place by Pixel’s side.  
Robbie and Stephanie instantly dropped their argument and crossed over the boy. Pixel’s eyes fluttered and he groaned. He clutched the side of his head as he slowly sat upright.  
“Ugh…what? W-Where am I…?” He mumbled.  
Pixel grunted as he was greeted by a group hug from all his friends, sans Robbie, who stood a bit away and watched with a relieved expression.  
“Pixel! I’m so glad you’re okay!” said Ziggy.  
“Yeah! I thought you were a statue for sure!” Trixie added.  
“I-I thought so too!” Pixel said quickly. “B-But, when the monster stared at me, I could feel like its power was…interrupted, somehow.”  
“Interrupted?” questioned Robbie and Stephanie.  
Pixel nodded.  
“Yeah. I don’t know, I mean I couldn’t move when it stared at me. But I just…well I don’t know how it feels to be turned into a statue, but I certainly didn’t feel anything like that. I just kind of fell asleep.” He said.  
Robbie puzzled over Pixel’s account for a moment. He looked over the boy, stopping once he noticed the boy’s googles, still in night-vision mode.  
“Pixel, this is just a theory, but you had your goggles on when the monster looked at you, right?” asked Robbie.  
“Y-Yeah, I think so? Why?” asked Pixel.  
“Because,” Robbie started, tapping the boy’s googles. “I think these might be a key to keeping ourselves from becoming statues too.”  
Pixel paused, then gasped.  
“So, you think my _goggles_ stopped its gaze?” He asked.  
“Maybe. That’s the only thing I can think of.” Robbie said with a small smile. “Turns out that night-vision function you made _was_ useful.”  
Pixel smiled for a brief moment. It soon vanished as another thought crossed his mind.  
“I mean, that’s great, but I don’t have goggles for everyone else! I’m the only one protected…” He noted quietly.  
Stephanie gave her friend a reassuring look.  
“It’s okay Pixel, we’ll figure out something else. We at least have a few ideas on how to stop the monster’s gaze, so it’s a start.”

“But first, we should figure out where to go. I don’t think sitting in the foyer of a castle is a good spot to hide.” Trixie said, looking about the castle’s interior.  
The group, with Pixel now awake, finally took a look at the foyer they’d run into. It was clear that the castle was in disrepair, but at one point must have been magnificent. The walls stretched up high to a ceiling that bore both a gigantic mural and a skylight, which illuminated a now shattered and broken fountain. Miraculously, the glass in the skylight remained intact, its crystal fractals shining a mixture of normal and rainbow light onto the ground. The mural was damaged to the point of being near incomprehensible, but Robbie made out that the scene it depicted was a battle against some unknown monster. A dragon, most likely.  
The floor was covered by a long, dusty red carpet, and the walls were adorned with torn and frayed banners. The banners depicted a field of red, with four golden trumpets in a cross formation. Torches, long either broken or extinguished, dotted the walls. Dust floated through the air, and each step the group took echoed through the empty halls.  
“This place is really spooky.” Noted Stephanie.  
“How long has this castle even been here?” asked Ziggy.  
“A very long time at the least.” Robbie responded, pausing as he noticed the broken statues near the fountain. Judging from the intact statue heads with helmets and hands holding swords and spears, Robbie guessed they were once more soldiers.  
He shuddered and hurried the children past.  
“Where should we go first? This place is _huge_.” Asked Trixie.  
“Umm…” Robbie said, looking about. Indeed, there were two long hallways that stretched in both directions along with two more hallways up the grand staircase. Looking up, he noticed more statues along the bannister. Some were broken like the soldier statues, but enough were intact to paint a scene. Women in ratty dresses holding pots and rags (most likely servants) were frozen with horrified expressions, their poses ones of desperate escape. The few men, a mixture of pages and noblemen, were either also fleeing or stood tall with defiant sneers. The latter most likely were trying to buy the others time, to no avail.  
“…let’s just go through these doors here. I don’t see any statues by them.” Robbie said, pointing to a pair of beautifully carved wooden doors. The carvings depicted owls with their wings stretched towards the handles.

Pushing the doors open with a grunt of effort, Robbie and children gasped at the scene they were greeted with.  
Much to their surprise, they had found the castle’s library. Its ceiling mural, far more intact, depicted the night sky with all its constellations and meteor showers recorded. The bookshelves climbed up high and nearly touched the top of the ceiling. The floor was covered with various carpets, all red, which led to the center of the room. The small sitting area was filled with pillows and chairs, all dusty. In the middle of the library, a stand built of gilded gold stood, a giant book still open on its stand.  
“This is beautiful.” Stephanie said in a hushed voice, her eyes sparkling.  
“It’s something all right.” Robbie noted, staring up at the mural.  
Pixel looked around at the ceiling and walls.  
“And I don’t see any holes or broken walls, so I think we’re safe here. For now, at least.” He said, stepping forward. As he did, the crystal’s holder fell from his pocket and clacked against the stone floor.  
“Oh! Oh geez, I forgot I had this in my pocket…” Pixel noted, crouching down to pick it back up.  
He was beaten by Robbie, who snatched it off the floor and rolled it around in his hand. His face paled as he noticed the fabric caught in its clip, bloodied and tattered.  
“Pixel, where did you find this?” He asked quietly.  
Pixel winced.  
“Back at the first hiding spot. I-I was keeping watch when I decided to have a look around. I heard the crystal’s cry and found it under some rocks.” He explained nervously.  
Robbie didn’t respond. He picked at the torn cloth, examining the bloodied uniform piece. He sucked down a thick breath, his eyes visibly watering as he stared at the crystal longer.  
“R-Robbie?” asked Pixel.  
Robbie shivered and quickly wiped away the tear building in his eye.  
“I’m fine. I just…I hope this was from Sportacus _running_ from the monster, and not…” He started, the tears building once more.  
Stephanie quickly rushed to Robbie’s side and gave him a hug.  
“It’s okay Robbie. Remember, this is Sportacus we’re talking about. He’s gotta be okay.” She said.  
Robbie sniffed and nodded, patting the girl’s head.  
“I-I know. I have to believe that. I can’t…I can’t let myself consider the other option.” Robbie noted, his voice choked up.  
“You don’t have to _not_ think about that. Just…don’t let yourself get too fixed on it, okay?” Stephanie asked with a small smile.  
Robbie nodded, sniffling and wiping away tears on his sleeve.  
“You know, you act pretty mature for being such a pipsqueak.” Robbie said, his voice muffled by his shirt sleeve.  
Stephanie laughed and shook her head.  
“Well, you sure cry a lot for a grown up.” She teased.  
Pixel gave Stephanie a confused look.  
“Did I miss something here? When did you two start acting like friends?” He asked.  
“At some point before we thought you’d become a statue.” Robbie said with a weak laugh.  
Pixel pursed his lips.  
“Man, can’t believe you two can joke about that…” He noted.  
“We’re not. It’s just…this is all a lot.” Robbie admitted.  
Stephanie nodded.  
Pixel sighed.  
“It is. I agree with you there.”

“Hey guys? You might want to check this out. Ziggy found a book on the stand here.” Trixie called.  
Pixel, Stephanie, and Robbie looked up and quickly made their way towards the book stand.  
“What’d you find, Ziggy?” asked Stephanie.  
“W-Well, there’s this book here and…and I think it’s the story about this castle.” He said, pointing to the crest on the front of the book. “Look, it’s the same thing that was on the flag things.”  
“The banners.” Pixel corrected. “And I think Ziggy might be right. Look, there’s even a bookmark there. Maybe we should start there?”  
Robbie nodded and crossed over, Trixie and Ziggy stepping out of the way. Carefully and cautiously, Robbie opened the book to the marked page. The illustration on the page depicted a king and queen lording over their kingdom, the citizens applauding with happy and gracious faces.  
“It looks like a story. It’s titled, _The End of the Golden Era and The Birth of the Woeful Times_.” He said.  
“Long title.” Remarked Trixie.  
“And ominous.” Noted Stephanie. “What does it say?”  
Robbie flipped through the following pages and sighed.  
“Settle in everyone. Looks like this story is a little on the lengthy side.”

\--

_The beginning of the last golden era of the Kingdom of Kerinad, land of the golden harvests, was heralded by the ascension of King Laurencius the Majestic, succeeding his father King Nicholas after a reign of 80 years. He took the throne alongside his wife, the fierce and wise Queen Margarete. King Laurencius and Queen Margarete continued the righteous and fair work of his father, but of greater caliber. Under their reign, the kingdom flourished, and greater learning and prosperity was spread to all from duke to serf. The kingdom praised and loved their king and queen, celebrating their wise and kind deeds and hearts. Songs were sung for Queen Margarete, who would personally oversee the building of schools and the curriculum of the children both rich and poor. Ballads and poems heralded the might of King Laurencius, whose wisdom and judgement rivaled that of the biblical Solomon. The wars and conflicts ceased, and the kingdom entered a lengthy period of peace.  
So celebrated was their reign that the Council of Mages, an isolated yet powerful sect of magicians, graced their presence and gifted the royals with a powerful gift: The Full Moon Mirror, an object that would allow the king and queen to see what occurred in their kingdom._

_All were joyous in the Kingdom of Kerinad._

_In the following years, the king and queen were blessed with the arrival of their first three children, all princes. The first, Prince Jon the Valiant, became renowned for his skill with the sword and shield. The second, Prince Thomas the Silent, attained great praise as a hunter and archer, as well as for his skill with horses. The third, Prince Henres the Gentle, was a skilled negotiator and speaker, his words calming the angriest of bandits and most stubborn of beasts.  
But none of their children were as heralded and glorified as their lone daughter, Princess Alianore the Radiant.  
Alianore, a maiden with hair like the phoenix’s fire and eyes like the ocean’s waters, was a being of pure beauty. Many citizens recounted that the day of her birth was signaled by the overcast day being split by light from the heavens that turned the fields of wheat to gold. It was said that her beauty could only be rivaled by the angels.  
As she grew into a young woman, her hand was sought after by knights and ladies alike, all who would do anything for just a moment in her presence. Each birthday, she was showered with gifts and tributes by people from far and wide. Hundreds of songs and ballads were written about her beauty and grace, and all loved the princess.  
The princess knew this, and it was understood with a patient yet humble understanding by sweet Alianore._

_Time passed. Alianore grew older, and her mind grew more curious.  
She understood easily that the people adored her for her beauty and charm, and many had cried their intention to do anything she wished, just to be with her for a single hour.  
She began to wonder…how truthful were these suitors and citizens being?  
At first, her requests were fanciful and silly at best. One suitor, a duke from a neighboring kingdom, was tasked with balancing upside-down on five watermelons, stacked in a tower, just to earn an hour in the princess’s presence. The duke easily and willingly complied, and despite falling from the tower multiple times, he continued to attempt the princess’s request until he finally succeeded multiple hours later.  
Another suitor, a songstress from a seaside village, was commanded to dance and sing a series of profane songs in the middle of the marketplace. She did as she was asked, and despite embarrassment, she didn’t blink or balk at the princess’s odd request.  
Indeed, the princess’s query was answered. Her subjects and equals would bend heaven and earth just for her, all because of how beautiful and graceful she was.  
Had she stopped there, perhaps this sad tale would’ve ended differently._

_But alas, the princess didn’t._

_The princess’s heart, whether it had always been dark or had grown dark, beckoned her to experiment more. Soon, she began to wonder just_ how _far these lovestruck and awestruck citizens would go just to appease her wishes.  
Thus, she kept asking for graver and more sinister wishes from her citizens.  
She commanded lawful men to steal from their employers and give her what treasures they attained from their heists. They would do so with minimal hesitation.  
But that wasn’t enough.  
She requested one farmer to kill his brother in exchange for one kiss from her. He did so, though he himself was found crying not long after the deed was done.  
The princess continued, requesting increasingly terrible and sinister deeds from her subjects. Her deeds, however, only grew more self-serving and heinous.  
The princess soon used her influence to target maidens within her kingdom, anyone she believed posed a threat to her position as the most radiant woman in the kingdom. The rivers flowed red with the blood of countless maidens over the next few months, and the nights were filled with the wails of grieving parents, siblings, and lovers.  
So many knew who was responsible, the snake whispering dark ideas into the ears of their men and women. But who would dare suggest such a dark deed of their precious princess? And who would believe them? Thus, the princess’s crimes remained hidden, and Princess Alianore continued her experiments, accumulating more wealth and treasures with each try._

_But not all who suspected the sweet princess remained quiet and inactive.  
No, indeed the one to act the most was none other than the princess’s mother, Queen Margarete. Such a wise and noble queen would naturally act upon her concerns and questions, especially when it concerned her own daughter.  
Thus, when the queen heard the worried whispers of her daughter’s dark and evil heart, the queen rushed to the room where the Full Moon Mirror laid hidden. Indeed, the king and queen were so fair and wise, they hid the powerful object away and used it rarely, to keep the integrity of their subjects.  
But this was a far graver situation.  
The queen called upon the power of the mirror, and was horrified by what she witnessed. She watched helplessly as her daughter commanded two peasants to burn down the house of a farmer she hated, one who owned a calf she desired for herself. The peasants set the house aflame, the farmer and his family dying a slow death inside. The princess was given her calf, and the two peasants were rewarded a kiss each for their bloody deed.  
The queen wished to punish her daughter, but didn’t want to break the heart of her husband, who loved the princess dearly and blindly. Thus, she stripped the daughter of her luxuries and sentenced her to work as a lowly scullery maid in the castle’s kitchens for three months. The citizens were told, instead, that the princess was off on an extended vacation. The king was told this was an exercise in character, to teach his daughter the value of hard work.  
The princess, however, suspected that her mother was aware of her deeds and grew enraged at the perceived injustice of her sentence.  
She was so enraged, that she wished to pay revenge to her mother’s sentence.  
The facts of that last night remain foggy, but many believe that the princess snuck a powerful and deadly poison in the queen’s dinner, for the guards found the beloved Queen Margarete dead at the table, the princess off in the kitchen._

_The kingdom fell into terrible and great mourning. The funeral for the queen was attended to by the entire kingdom, and the king fell into a deep depression. The princess’s sentence, forgotten in the wake of the great grief, ended prematurely, and the princess returned to her former luxury. She shed tears at her mother’s funeral, but she shed less than her brothers and father. Seemingly, she was free._

_But there was one last group that suspected her evil deeds and her most foul murder of her mother.  
The Council of Mages had kept a close watch over the Kingdom of Kerinad and had long suspected the princess of odious deeds. The murder of Queen Margarete, however, cemented their righteous fury at the uncaring and cold princess. The council convened and quickly decided that a punishment would be levied against the cruel Alianore.  
The council’s leader, the mage Althea of the Highest Mountain, elected her young apprentice Fineas to deliver a curse of his choice to blight the princess, with the only way the curse could be broken was for the princess to confess and repay the crimes she’d committed.  
However, Althea was blind to one fact about her apprentice Fineas. For she had chosen Fineas as an impartial executioner of Princess Alianore’s curse, but he was far from impartial. Fineas’ beloved sister, Avys, had been a victim of Alianore’s jealous crusade against the most beautiful maidens in the kingdom, and Fineas had been the one to find his sister’s body laying in her favorite meadow.  
He held a powerful vendetta against the princess, and wished to make her pay a terrible price beyond what even the council could’ve imagined.  
Thus, Fineas snuck into the kingdom’s summer gala and, with his charms, gained the audience of the royal family. He claimed his wish to pay tribute to the most beautiful princess, and the royal family expected nothing until Fineas dropped his disguise and started his curse.  
“From this day forth, I curse thee Princess Alianore the Radiant, to be radiant no longer. For now, the ugliness of your heart and crimes shall be present on your face, and no medicine or doctor shall be capable of curing your ailment. The only cure will present itself in your confession, and your pleas for forgiveness. Let your sins be only washed away with the light of the dawn and your confession.” Cursed Fineas.  
And indeed, as the young mage vanished into the crowd, the citizens gasped in horror and alarm as the princess lifted her transformed face. Gone was the heavenly beauty of the princess’s visage; there, instead, was a malformed countenance dotted with blotches of sickly green and distended features. Seven magnificent horns spiraled from her forehead, and the princess’s eyes were stained a sickly yellow. Her skin tone was stained a dull gray, and her hair was a wild and knotted nest of red.  
The princess wailed and cried, mourning her lost beauty._

_Thus, the council awaited the princess’s redemption, her confessions, her wishes to fix all the wrongs she’d committed.  
But nay, there were no confessions or guilt.  
Instead, the princess curled into her sorrow and grief, a lost woman without her greatest power and leverage. She cursed the people around her, and each one worsened her curse. She locked herself away in her bedroom, and rarely allowed people to visit her.  
Her father, King Laurencius, searched far and wide for a cure for his daughter. He brought in apothecaries and sorcerers from kingdoms across the globe, the greatest in their lands, and tasked them with curing his daughter’s ailment. Each failed. The king grew desperate, offering a reward of ten thousand gold pieces for the person who could bring his daughter’s beauty back.  
But all who tried failed, and with each failed attempt the princess’s anger and fury grew.  
And as her anger grew, so did her curse’s power.  
Claws replaced nails. Thorns sprouted from every inch of her skin. The princess’s body distended and stretched, losing its womanly shape. From her tailbone grew a long and kinked tail, tipped with a tuft of her once glorious, red hair. Her ears resembled that of an ass’s, and her teeth grew long and gnarled.  
And yet, her hatred grew, despite the answer to her curse’s break staring her in the face.  
She truly felt no guilt, and regretted none of her actions. She only hated the one who forced her this fate.  
And as the days passed, the princess’s hideous visage and internal hatred grew to its ultimate, horrible conclusion. For her curse had grown so out of control, the princess attained a power once eliminated by the Ancient Greeks for its power and influence, the one once controlled by the gorgon sisters of old. The power of the Stone Gaze. Thus, all who looked upon her and stared into her eyes would be rendered nothing more than a statue._

_The king was soon made partially aware of this fact, once the servants he sent to attend to his beloved daughter stopped returning from their errands.  
First, the king’s son Jon entered his sister’s room, sword in hand, to assist his sister in whatever troubled her.  
He never returned.  
Next entered Prince Thomas, carrying his trusted bow and quiver of arrows.  
He too never returned.  
Finally entered young Prince Henres, who believed he could calm his grieving sister. Behind him stood his father and a battalion of guards, standing at the doorway. The king watched as his son entered the darkened room, his form vanishing into the shadows. The last he heard of his son was his horrified shriek, it being silenced suddenly. Emerging from the shadows came what was once his daughter, clutching the broken remains of his son’s statue. The king and his men tried to hold their positions against the former princess, but it was all for naught. The beloved King Laurencius and his brave battalion joined the fates of his sons, and the royal lineage was silenced forever in stone as their statues were smashed by the princess’s tail.  
The princess, blinded by her anger and hatred, rampaged through the castle and the kingdom, turning all unlucky enough to meet her gaze to stone. Those who remained unchanged either escaped or, more commonly, laid low in their homes, trapped by their fear of meeting the same fates as their neighbors, friends, and loved ones._

_Finally, the Council of Mages had enough. Althea, with six other high-ranking mages, descended upon the castle to finally put an end to Princess Alianore’s rampage. But even with seven mages, they were woefully unprepared. In the end of their attack, only Althea escaped with her life, her other six comrades falling to the same fate as the kingdom’s inhabitants.  
She attempted to cast a breaking spell, to break the princess’s curse, but to no success. Fineas’s curse had been cast with the authority of the entire Council of Mages; no other mage could break the spell.  
Thus, Althea attempted one last, desperate attempt to save the survivors from Alianore’s wrath. She casted a spell that sent the castle, and whatever remained on its grounds, into a world known as Limbo, a land between places. There, the princess couldn’t harm anyone else.  
The spell worked. The castle, with the monstrous princess inside, vanished into thin air. In its place laid an empty field, as if the castle never existed in the first place.  
Thus marked the death of the Kingdom of Kerinad._

_However, this was far from the end of Princess Alianore’s story.  
For you see, Althea’s spell was only so powerful, and without her fellow mages the spell couldn’t be cast properly.  
Thus, it is said that the castle vanishes and appears across the planet, appearing and disappearing around the world, sometimes remaining for years before disappearing for centuries. Many adventurers, thieves, and lost hikers have gone missing near the castle’s location. And many believe their disappearance is the work of the lost Princess Alianore, once radiant, now only as monstrous as her heart._

\--

As Robbie finished reading the book’s passage, he looked up and over at the children, feeling completely floored. The children looked similarly stunned, their gazes ones of surprise as they looked at each other.  
“W-Wow, so that monster is actually…?” Ziggy asked.  
“Or more, _was_ once…” Pixel started.  
“A princess?” Finished Stephanie.  
Robbie gave a curt nod.  
“I guess, if this book is to be believed. Then again, it’d be hard to deny what it says. The monster in the illustration looks like the one we’ve been running from.”  
“And it explains where all this came from! That’s why we’ve never seen this castle in LazyTown.” Said Stephanie, gesturing widely to the entirety of the castle.  
“And it explains all the statues.” Said Trixie in a hushed, horrified voice. “They were all…at least at one point, _alive_. They were all _real people_.”  
“And the broken statues…” Ziggy said, before he stopped himself. His face was turning green.  
“D-Don’t look, Ziggy.” Pixel said, pulling the young boy away. “Just try not to think about that, okay?”  
“I’ll try, but my stomach hurts just looking at them.” Admitted Ziggy, gulping down a hard breath.  
Stephanie turned to Robbie.  
“So, do you think that’s what we’ll have to do? To fix the statues, we have to try and get the princess to apologize for everything she did?” She asked nervously.  
Robbie bit his lip and looked down doubtfully.  
“I…I don’t even know if that’s _possible_ at this point.” He admitted quietly. “You heard the story; the princess’s curse grew worse because she didn’t feel any regret or guilt. She let her hatred and anger fuel the curse and became…well,” He said, gesturing strongly at the window. “ _that_ thing.”  
Stephanie looked down sadly.  
“So, she might be too far gone then?” She asked quietly.  
Robbie cringed and shrugged.  
“I mean, I don’t want to say anything that definitively, but…”

Trixie sighed and stepped forward.  
“Well, if we aren’t sure if we can _cure_ the stupid monster, we at least can do something to find Sportacus.” She said, nudging Robbie out of the way to flip through the pages.  
Robbie frowned and dusted off his vest.  
“And what exactly are you thinking about, Tricky?” He asked.  
Trixie shot the man a look and pointed at an illustration.  
“That Full Moon Mirror thing! The book itself said we can see anything going on in the castle, so if we find that, we can use it to find Sportacus and maybe even keep an eye on the monster.” She said.  
“But the book doesn’t even say where it’s hidden! Only the king and queen knew, and they’re both…” Stephanie said, her voice tapering off.  
“Well we can at least guess! Look,” Trixie said, pointing at the illustration. “it seems that the mirror is stuck somewhere pretty dark. There’s only one window, and it’s on the ceiling of the room. There’s no decorations on the walls in the picture, so I think that it might be in a cellar somewhere.”  
“A cellar?” asked Ziggy.  
“Like a basement or dungeon! Think about it, those aren’t places you usually go to, and with a castle this big there must be multiple dungeons and basements. I bet there has to be one behind a secret passage or something that only the royal family would know about! And I bet that’s where the mirror is!”  
Robbie and the group looked genuinely impressed.  
“Wow Tricky, I never would’ve guessed you’d be decent at deduction.” Stated Robbie.  
Trixie smirked.  
“Come on Robbo, tricks are my thing. If I want to pull them off, I have to have at least _some_ idea of how people think.”  
Robbie shrugged.  
“Fair enough. And don’t call me Robbo.”  
“Only if you stop calling us by those nicknames.” Trixie said.  
“Fine. I’ll start using your real names, if I _have_ to.” Robbie said with a dramatic sigh.  
“But that still leaves one question: where do we start? This place is _huge_!” Pixel said, gesturing to the castle.  
“Maybe there’s a map somewhere in this library?” suggested Ziggy.  
“Good thinking Ziggy! Quick, everyone split up and start looking around – “Stephanie started.

An earth-shaking roar sent the walls quaking and stopped the five in their tracks.

Above them, they could hear something’s feet clack against the rooftop, and a low hiss filled the general silence of the room.

A gasp escaped Ziggy and Pixel as their eyes slowly trailed up towards the skylight, their hearts filling with dread.

Blotting out the low sunlight streaming through the glass came two claws with rubbery gray skin and yellowed nails. Following them came the malformed and distended head of the former princess now monster, her mane of wild red hair a rat’s nest on her head framed by horns and thorns. Her golden eyes stared down into the darkened library and she let her mouth hang open, displaying the dual rows of sharpened, gnarled teeth, and her blackened tongue.

Thinly, the group could hear the faint sounds of glass cracking and breaking under the weight of the monster’s body.

“R-Robbie…” Stephanie started, looking at the villain in horror.  
Through gritted teeth, Robbie stared at the children in fear.  
“ _Run._ ” He hissed.

As soon as he did, the skylight exploded as the glass finally gave way, the monster’s body plummeting through the rooftop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we go; now we know where the monster came from and what the heck's sort of going on! Sorry for yet another cliffhanger, but at least there was intensity? 
> 
> Thank you all for reading and hope you're all enjoying the story so far!


	5. Chapter 5

Glass showered down like a cascade of raindrops into the darkened library, the large shards crashing against the stone flooring. Robbie tried his best to corral the four children away from the diameter of the skylight, all covering their necks and heads as they scurried away.   
The monster careened through the air, screeching and screaming as she flailed and plummeted. She landed with a harsh crash, smashing the book stand and the book into shredded pieces.  
Instantly, she crawled onto her feet, snarling and wailing at the fleeing group, her wings sweeping aside broken glass and gold pieces.  
“Robbie! Where are we going?” asked Stephanie as she picked up the pace.  
“I have no clue! Trixie, do you have any idea?” asked Robbie.  
“Me? Why are you asking me??” Trixie shouted.  
“Because you’re the genius that had an idea about the mirror! Tell us where to go!” Robbie urged.  
“If you didn’t notice Robbo, I didn’t exactly get a chance to look at a map of this place! I literally have no clue where we’re going!” Trixie yelled back, yelping as she heard the monster roar and her claws clack against the stone flooring.  
“Well great! Pixel, make a map or something!” Robbie asked.  
“I can’t just make a map! My scanner isn’t big enough!” said Pixel.

Gritting his teeth and swearing under his breath, Robbie skidded to a halt as their path ended, the rest of the hallway blocked off by collapsed rubble and broken statues.  
“It’s a dead end!” cried Ziggy, staring in fear.  
Robbie looked about, seeing no other pathway or exit. Somehow, they had run down the one hallway that _didn’t_ lead to half a dozen rooms and other hallways.  
He could hear the monster shriek, her footfalls growing increasingly louder.  
Looking off to his side, Robbie eyed the window that overlooked the courtyard they’d been in earlier. His face paled as he realized how limited his options were, and how perilous the one option was. He clenched his fists as he cemented his decision.  
“Robbie! What are we doing??” asked Stephanie, tugging on Robbie’s sleeve.  
Robbie looked down at the girl with a weak and nervous smile.  
“Something incredibly stupid that requires a few reflexes I think. Your favorite, right?” He asked in a weakly joking way.  
Stephanie paused, then looked over her shoulder at the window. Her eyes widened as she realized what the villain was thinking.  
“You don’t mean…?” She asked softly.  
Robbie nodded grimly.  
“We’re a little low on options, Pinky.” He said uneasily.  
The other kids looked at him fearfully, them slowly understanding the villain’s plan.  
Robbie gave one last glance at the charging monster before he pulled the kids close.  
“Now everyone, stick close behind me. I’ll get this party started. Keep your eyes closed and try not to go through arms first.” Robbie said with an uneasy chuckle.  
The kids nodded and shivered as they heard the monster draw near.  
Sucking in a breath, Robbie gritted his teeth as he charged towards the window, shoulder first. He squeezed his eyes shut as his body made contact, breaking easily through the aged and worn glass. The window shattered into thousands of pieces as Robbie tumbled onto the roof, quickly followed by the kids rolling after him. They had just missed being caught by the monster, whose claws collided into the rubble. She shrieked and stared with bared teeth towards where the group were sliding.

Robbie tried desperately to slow his tumbling descent. He threw out his hands and attempted to dig his heels into the worn roof tiles, to no avail. Each attempt ended with his hands and feet bouncing and nearly being crushed as he rolled further down the roof.  
Stephanie dug her soles into the roof and slowed her fall, stopping right at the edge of the roof. She grabbed Ziggy’s hand and tugged backwards, grunting as she slowed the boy’s fall and kept him firmly on the roof. Like a chain, Ziggy then reached for Trixie to stop her roll, and once she was secure, she did the same for Pixel.  
Pixel, then, tried to reach for Robbie, but was short by just half a finger’s length. His face paled as he watched Robbie tumble off the roof.  
Robbie gasped in alarm as he fell into freefall.  
“ROBBIE!” The kids screamed.  
The ground was approaching fast, and Robbie flinched as he finally hit the ground with a loud _crash_. He heard something snap as his tumble finally ended with his side smacking into the broken fountain. He groaned in pain as he laid on the ground, his mind spinning and swerving in pain, fear, and dizziness.  
“Oh gosh, Robbie! Robbie, are you okay??” Stephanie yelled, peering over the edge of the roof worriedly.  
Robbie groaned and, with a weak look, attempted to lift his head up.  
“I’m, _ergh_ , just peachy Pin – Stephanie. I’m feeling better than I have in my whole life.” He said with a shaky, and pained, laugh.  
Stephanie sighed, both in relief and disbelief that Robbie was joking at this time. She looked over to her friends.  
“I think he’s hurt. We should get down there quick.” She said, looking for a way to safely get down.  
The four soon found a pillar that they could reasonably reach and, like a fireman, the four slid their way down to solid ground. Immediately they rushed over to the villain, who still laid on the ground with a pained expression.  
“Robbie, do you think you broke something? If so, where?” asked Stephanie, looking over the villain.  
“I think I might’ve broken my arm.” Grunted the villain, touching his tender arm. He flinched and gasped out a curse word.  
Stephanie pursed her lips.  
“I think you might’ve too. I have some supplies in my pack. I think I also have some stuff for those cuts.” She said, pointing to the multiple deep, red cuts along Robbie’s face and arms.  
“Yeah, I guess jumping through a glass window isn’t that great of an idea.” Robbie remarked weakly.  
“Man, you’re lucky you didn’t _die_. How are you joking right now?” asked Pixel, shaking his head.  
“It’s either this or screaming in agonizing pain. I bet joking is preferable for you all.” Robbie retorted.  
Stephanie looked up at Trixie.  
“Trixie, do you think you could look through my pack? I have some wood I could use for a splint – “

She froze. She stared in horror at the space right behind her friend, her hands and legs trembling. Her hand covered her mouth, and she shakily pointed at the space behind Trixie.

“ _Don’t look_.” She begged quietly, her eyes darting to the ground.  
Trixie didn’t have to look. She knew that the monster was right behind her from the heavy sounds of her breathing and the hiss that it exhaled with every breath.  
She gulped, standing stalk straight.  
“Pinky, _what do we do._ ” Trixie asked through closed teeth, a shudder escaping her as she felt the monster’s hot breath.  
“ _I don’t know_.” Hissed Stephanie back, her legs now overtaken by a full shiver.  
Ziggy quivered and whimpered, keeping his eyes straight to the ground.  
Robbie tried his hardest to keep his composure as he felt the monster start to circle around the group, its feet stepping close to his hand.  
Pixel frowned, staring at the ground. His mind was a frenzy of thoughts and planning, with one idea in particular sticking. But it was a terrifying idea, one that another part of him was trying to actively reject, mostly because there was only way it could end and it wasn’t a good end.  
But as he heard Trixie yelp and, out of his peripheral, saw the monster’s snout draw close to her arm, he affirmed his decision.  
He shakily tapped a few buttons on his wrist device and, taking a deep breath, he looked over at the monster.  
“Hey! Alianore! Eat this!” shouted Pixel as he lifted the device and averted his eyes.  
The monster, as soon as she looked up, was instantly blinded by the bright flashlight Pixel had installed in his device. The monster howled and shrieked, squinting her eyes shut and jumping back from the group.  
“Guys! Run! I’ll catch up with you all!” Pixel yelled, looking away from the monster long enough to address the group.  
The group was horrified.  
“Pixel, no! We’re not leaving without you!” Stephanie protested.  
“If you think we’re just going to leave you Pixel, you really are an idiot!” shouted Trixie angrily.  
“Don’t argue with me! I’m the only one with a sort of shield against the monster, so I’m the only one that can hold it off long enough for you all to escape!” Pixel shouted back.  
He looked at his friends with a sad smile.  
“Come on guys, have a little faith in me. I’ll be right there in a minute.”  
Trixie, Stephanie, and Ziggy were about to fight more, until they felt Robbie tug them away.  
“Alright Pixel, if you’re sure about this, then good luck. We’ll see you in a few minutes.” He said with a steady smile.  
Pixel nodded and gave thumbs up before he turned back to the monster, which was starting to get her bearings.

“Robbie, what are you doing?! We can’t leave him!” Protested Stephanie as Robbie limped along and tugged her with him.  
“Stephanie, we don’t have many options right now! If Pixel thinks he can hold off the monster long enough for us to find another hiding place or the mirror, we have to trust him! Remember, he has those goggles that shield him from most of the monster’s powers. It’s the best we have right now.” Robbie said, looking sadly at the girl.  
Stephanie looked at Robbie pleadingly, but quickly realized that the villain wasn’t going to budge. Her eyes watered as she continued to run.  
The group ran and ran, still hearing the sounds of the monster’s screeches and wings. They looked about the courtyard, with Ziggy eventually spotting the ruins of a church in the corner of the yard.  
“There! I think we can hide in there!” Ziggy said, pointing to the building.  
Robbie nodded.  
“Then that’s where we’ll go! Everyone duck inside!” cried Robbie as they approached the church.  
The church was a tiny, white building, with the only visible sign it was a church being the broken remains of a stained-glass window in its front wall. The group pushed through the doorway, freezing as they were greeted with a giant pit broken through the floorboards, leading to another stone hallway.  
“T-This must’ve been a secret passage at one point.” Noted Stephanie. “D-Do you think the mirror’s down there?”  
Robbie nodded curtly.  
“There’s a chance, but at the least it’s somewhere to hide! Everyone get in the hole and – “  
“GUYS! RUN AND HIDE! SHE’S ON HER WAY AND IS FURIOUS!” shouted Pixel as he sprinted across the yard, the monster on his heels.  
“PIXEL!” screamed Trixie and Stephanie, their expressions fearful.  
Pixel waved them away.  
“Go! Hide! Get to safety!” He begged as he ran.  
Stephanie looked reluctant, but eventually followed her friend’s wishes. She jumped down into the hole, being followed by Ziggy.  
“Trixie, get in the hole! Pixel will be fine!” assured Robbie as he led her towards the hole.  
“No! I’m not leaving yet!” She protested, pushing against Robbie.  
“Trixie, get down there!”  
“No! W-Why don’t you go down first? You’re the one who’s injured!” Trixie shouted angrily.  
“And I’m not letting you get turned into a statue! Now go!” Robbie yelled.  
“No! I’m not going until Pixel’s safe!” Trixie protested.  
“Guys! Get – agh!” Pixel shouted, his cry interrupted as he tripped over a rock, his goggles clattering and sliding across the ground and away from his grip.  
“PIXEL!” Trixie screamed, her face going white. She immediately attempted to charge towards her friend, only to be grabbed by Robbie.  
She shot daggers at the villain.  
“LET ME GO! LET ME GO!” Trixie shrieked, tears building in her eyes.  
“Robbie! Get her to safety!” Pixel begged as he struggled to his knees.  
“Pixel we aren’t going to leave you!” said Robbie.  
“Please! J-Just go! I’ll be there in a minute!” Pixel said weakly.  
Robbie didn’t believe him, not even more a minute. But he did know he had to get Trixie at least to safety. So, with a saddened expression, he backed away and leapt down into the hole with Trixie in tow, her screaming and cursing.

Pixel gulped down a breath and started hastily crawling towards his goggles. Really, the goggles weren’t super important to him, and he could’ve left them. But he also didn’t know if the group had actually found a good hiding spot. In some way, he had understood this as part of his plan.  
And once the monster ran to the front of him, its claws baring his goggles from his reach, he knew that his scrabbled together plan had worked.  
His friends were safe, and the monster had missed where they’d hidden, being too distracted by him.  
“S-So, Alianore, this is it, huh?” He asked, his voice quivering.  
The monster growled, drool dripping onto the ground.  
“I-I could just kneel here you know. I don’t have to look up. We could keep at this for a while. For forever, if you’d like. I-I’d say I’m a p…pretty patient guy.” Pixel said, his mouth growing dry.  
The monster took a heavy step forward and roared, sending Pixel tumbling backwards and back onto his feet, his gaze back up and at the monster’s face.  
He shuddered, realizing his fate.  
“C-Clever. You’re pretty clever…” He said in a hushed voice.  
The monster hissed as her eyes glowed a bright gold, and a crackling sound filled the air.

\--

Down in the hidden hallway, Robbie and the children hung close to the wall, covering their mouths to muffle their breathing as much as possible. All except Trixie stared up in fear at the hole, listening carefully for the monster’s movement. They could hear it shift and scuffle across the yard, a low rumbling that was its growling ringing through the air. Robbie shivered and sweated, his breathing sounding too loud through his hand. He tried to slow his breaths, but each attempt left him feeling dizzy with adrenaline.  
For a brief moment, the group’s hearts stopped as a shadow blotted out some of the late sun, casting black against warm orange. Wings outstretched, they could hear it sniff and search, rocks tumbling down the hole from its steps.  
Robbie unconsciously pressed the children further away from the light, his eyes fixed on the monster’s silhouette.  
After what felt like an eternity, the monster seemed to finally give up. With a shrieking cry, its wings flapped harshly against the air and lifted the monster’s awkward form skyward.  
Minutes passed, and only when those minutes of silence passed did Robbie and the group release their held breaths, the tension evaporating in that moment.  
“T-That was too close…” Robbie said, out of breath.  
“Yeah, t-that was really scary.” Ziggy agreed, his body still trembling with adrenaline.  
Trixie said nothing as she faced away from the group.  
Stephanie carefully approached Robbie with a splint and bandages in hand.  
“Can I look at your arm?” She asked.  
Robbie looked apprehensively at the medical supplies.  
“I don’t know, do you know what you’re doing?” He asked.  
“I got my badge in field first aid last summer! See?” She said, pointing to a merit badge on her worn sash. “Besides, it’s not permanent. Just something to keep your bone in place until we reach a hospital.”  
Robbie, realizing his limited options and the throbbing pain in his arm, assenting and scooched closer to the crouching Stephanie.

Stephanie went to work setting the splint in its appropriate position. She checked quickly for any visible bone or blood, seeing none.  
“Must be just a fracture. Luckily, I think that heals relatively quickly.” She said with a tone usually only held by the most experienced of doctors.  
“Meaning how long?” asked Robbie, flinching and holding back a swear.  
“I think…six weeks? Nothing too bad.” Stephanie said, wrapping the bandage around Robbie’s arm.  
Robbie groaned.  
“Well, I guess it could be worse. What about all these cuts?” He asked, pointing to a particularly nasty gash on his cheek.  
Stephanie cringed.  
“That I don’t know. But I don’t think I can touch those unfortunately. There could be glass in your wounds, so I don’t want to bandage them yet. Better let a real doctor see them.” She said with a thin smile.  
“Can’t you at least clean up some of the blood? I bet I’m looking pretty ghastly with it all.” Robbie asked.  
Stephanie nodded.  
“I think I have some wipes in my pack. I can wipe away some of the blood.” She said, pulling out a small pack of sanitized wipes.  
As she went to work cleaning up the trails of blood from Robbie’s face and arms, she looked over to Trixie, who had remained quiet the whole time.  
“Trixie? Are you hurt?” She asked.  
“ _Hush._ ” Trixie hissed, her gaze never leaving the hole.  
Putting down the wipes, Stephanie stood back up.  
“Trixie, what are you doing?” She asked.  
“Listening.” Trixie stated.  
“For what?”  
Trixie finally turned towards Stephanie, her expression one of distressed anger.  
“Who do you think I’m talking about? Pixel! I’m listening for Pixel!” She said, clenching her fist.  
Stephanie looked confused.  
“B-But, didn’t he…?” She said, looking around her surroundings.  
She counted herself, Robbie, Ziggy, and Trixie.  
But Pixel…  
Stephanie’s face went white, and her attention snapped to Robbie.  
“Robbie, didn’t Pixel jump down here with you and Trixie?” She asked quietly.

Robbie’s expression and gaze fell. He drew his legs closer to his chest.  
“Stephanie,” He started softly. “Pixel requested Trixie and I jump down here without him. I-I didn’t want to, but we were running out of time. If I had waited any longer, the monster might’ve – “  
“You left _without him_?!” shouted Stephanie, tears building in her eyes.  
Robbie quickly reached for her wrists, looking fearfully at the girl.  
“Don’t yell! The monster might hear us!” He urged quietly.  
Stephanie yanked away her wrists.  
“Y-You just left?? You left him alone with _that thing_ out there?!” She said, growing hysterical.  
“Didn’t you hear what I said?! We didn’t have a choice! If we loitered any longer, the monster would’ve spotted us and chased after the rest of us! Pixel told us to hide and I had to get Trixie to safety.” Robbie shot back.  
“Don’t lump me into your excuse!” snarled Trixie, storming towards the villain.  
Robbie flinched and winced, a sharp pain racing up his arm.  
“I wanted to _stay_ and _fight_ with Pixel! You’re the one who dragged me down here with you!” Trixie spat.  
“And if you _did_ stay and fight, you’d get turned into a statue! Is that what you want Tricky?! Is it?!” Robbie angrily responded, glaring at the young girl.  
Tears streaming down her face, she stared in anger.  
“It would’ve been better than just _abandoning_ him! I-I could’ve done something, I could’ve _saved him_ , and you didn’t…I couldn’t…”  
Sniffling, Trixie sank down onto her knees, her tears rolling down her cheeks in fat droplets.  
The anger vanished from Robbie’s face, to be replaced with concern and grief. As Robbie tentatively crawled closer, Stephanie walked alongside him, her brow furrowed as she tried to hold back her own tears.  
“Trixie, I’m sorry.” Robbie said softly, gently placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder.  
Shivering, Trixie sniffled and sobbed, burying her face in her hands.  
“I could’ve done something, I could’ve. I _should’ve_. And n-now Pixel’s probably a statue too, just like Stingy. I-I can’t deal with it Robbie. I can’t lose more of my friends…” She said through choked sobs.  
Robbie looked at her sadly.  
“I know. This is terrible, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left Pixel alone out there. We might’ve been okay if I just _tried_ to go and help him.”  
Trixie wiped away her tears with her shirt sleeve.  
“Hey, look at me.” Robbie said, gently tilting the girl’s face up. “We’re going to keep looking. We’re going to find a way to save Stingy and Pixel. They aren’t gone yet, remember? Pixel said it himself; they’re both still in there. We’ll find this mirror and find Sportacus, and all together we’ll defeat the monster and save them both.”  
“H-How do you know that? How do y-you know this can be reversed? What if they’re stuck like that _forever_?” sobbed Trixie.  
“Well,” Robbie said, looking down. “we can’t afford to think like that.”  
Closing his eyes, he sighed.  
“I’m choosing to believe that all of this is reversible, and the only way we can get through this is if we all keep that hope alive. If we despair now and think that they’re stuck as statues, then we won’t move forward. That’s what I think at least.”  
Sniffling, Trixie nodded.  
“T-That makes sense. I…I guess I should try that too.” She said, shakily standing to her feet.  
Wiping away the last of her tears, Trixie forced a determined expression.  
“I’ll keep believing that we’ll find a way to save Stingy and Pixel! And…And we’re gonna kick that monster’s ugly hiney!” She said with a laugh that sounded more tired than triumphant.  
Robbie gave a small smile.  
“There we go. That’s the Trixie I know and mostly tolerate.” He said teasingly.

The group finally stood upright and looked about, seeing that the hallway only progressed in one direction.  
“I guess the best thing we could do is explore this hallway? The mirror could be somewhere down here.” Stephanie suggested.  
Trixie nodded.  
“I agree. If it isn’t down here, maybe at least we can find a hint. Or some weapons; we could use those too.”  
“It’s pretty dark down there though…” Ziggy noted.  
Robbie looked around and spotted a torch attached to the wall. Giving it a firm yank, the torch came loose. Stephanie pulled out her pocket flint and made short work lighting the torch, a robust red flame burning at its end.  
“Alright, let’s get moving. We don’t want to risk the monster deciding to search around here again.” Robbie said, leading the pack.  
The hallway was a uniform path of stone-built walls and floor that seemed to stretch on infinitely in the darkness. Robbie’s torch only illuminated the area a few inches in front of him, leaving little visibility or ability to take stock of their surroundings. Eventually Stephanie pulled out her own mini-flashlight, adding a second light source for the group.  
With the increased visibility added little additional knowledge. It only became clearer that the hallway was the same stone walls and floor all the way down, but nonetheless the group kept walking.  
As they did, Ziggy glanced off to the sides, trying to keep vigilant. For the most part, he only saw a few dead rats and overgrown moss collecting in the cracks between stones. However, as they continued, he soon spotted the decapitated head of one statue, its expression stuck in one of horror.  
Yelping, Ziggy sped up to walk close to Trixie.  
“What’s wrong, Ziggy?” She asked.  
“W-Well, I don’t think this hiding spot is safe from the monster.” He said weakly, pointing to the statue head.  
Trixie looked uneasily at the head.  
“Then…Then I guess we’ll just have to be extra careful.” She said, turning to the rest of the group. “Did you two hear that?”  
“Did Ziggy find something?” asked Stephanie.  
“A statue head. Looks like the monster can get down here.” Trixie said as casually as she could.  
Stephanie gulped and looked over to Robbie.  
“Robbie? What do we do?” She asked.  
Robbie felt his chest grow heavy from the implication. Sucking in a sharp breath, he exhaled with a stressed note.  
“We keep going. If it’s just…just a head, there’s a chance it was knocked down here. As long as we don’t find a whole statue, we might be okay.”  
The kids looked uneasy, but nonetheless nodded.

They continued down the hallway, passing by more pieces of broken statues and the same stone walls bare of any decoration. As they did, however, the stale silence became broken by a high-pitched, shrill whining sound, one that flickered in a constant rhythm.  
“Robbie! What is that??” asked Stephanie, plugging her ears.  
“I-I don’t know!” Robbie responded, plugging his own ears.  
Trixie pointed at his pocket.  
“It’s coming from your pocket!” She said.  
Fumbling around his pockets, Robbie pulled out the crystal’s holder. The device was shining as bright as a sun, flashing rapidly and beeping loudly.  
“Can you douse the light and make it stop?! It’ll attract the monster!” asked Trixie.  
Robbie cringed as he tapped at the device, looking for an off button. The crystal continued to whine.  
“I don’t think so. I don’t see anything.” He said with a groan, stuffing the device deeper into his pocket. “It wasn’t this loud earlier. Why is it panicking now?”  
“Um, Robbie? You said earlier how we’re okay if we didn’t find a whole statue?” asked Ziggy, tugging on the villain’s sleeve.  
“Yeah, and?” Robbie asked.  
Gulping, Ziggy pointed up ahead.  
“I think we should start being worried now.” He said nervously.  


Robbie followed the child’s gaze and looked up ahead. Sure enough, a few feet away, an intact statue stood in the middle of the hallway. It looked to be stuck in a half defensive, half fleeing pose, its hand outstretched and its balance slightly awkward.  
It looked much like all the other statues they had found. But for some reason, Robbie found himself unsettled by this particular one.  
“Well if the monster can get down here, should we turn back?” asked Stephanie.  
“No, I don’t think we should. Not until we see what’s at the end of the hallway. The mirror could be down here, remember?” said Trixie.  
“But what if there’s another monster that could turn us into statues?” asked Ziggy.  
“Ziggy, I don’t think there’s _two_ monsters like that here. The book would’ve mentioned that, and it didn’t.” reassured Stephanie.  
Robbie, meanwhile, wasn’t paying any attention to the children’s conversation. He was carefully drawing closer to the statue, holding the torch out in front of him. As he approached the statue, he began to make out more intricate details. He soon realized that this statue was wearing far more modern clothing, with modern pants, boots, and shirt. He also noticed that the statue was wearing a cap, and the thin outline of a number on its back.  
Ice began to build in his heart as he drew closer, and each step was more labored than the last. A voice deep in the back of his mind begged him to not go any closer, as the reality would be something too terrible for him to handle. But he kept going, needing the confirmation he both wanted and didn’t want from the statue.  
He had crossed over to the statue’s front when the children finally realized that Robbie had walked away.  
“Robbie? What’s wrong? Where are you going?” asked Stephanie.

Her answer partly came from Robbie’s reaction, his expression frozen in disbelief and horror, the torch slipping from his grip and clacking against the ground.

Stephanie’s expression fell as she began to walk towards the villain, her friends following close behind.  
“…Robbie?” She asked once more, her voice soft.  
Robbie neither responded nor looked towards Stephanie. He stood still, his gaze fixed upon the statue, his hands shivering by his sides.  
Stephanie felt her mouth grow dry as she walked closer.  
“R-Robbie?” She asked once more.  
She stopped when the villain finally moved.  
Robbie, with arms trembling, reached up towards the statue and gently ran his hands across the statue’s stony shoulders. His eyes trailed up to meet the statue’s, and he smirked a strained smirk, his expression quivering and barely holding, the tears building in his eyes. He uttered a choked sob and laid his head against the statue’s chest.  
“Robbie, is…it isn’t…” Stephanie started to say.  
“Y-You could’ve have lasted a little longer, could you?” asked Robbie in a near whisper.  
Stephanie paused, at first confused, until she realized that Robbie wasn’t talking to her.  
Robbie chuckled a sad chuckle, looking back up at the statue.  
“You _Sportajerk_ , I…I was almost here. H-How long have you…is this new? O-Or, has it been…” Robbie said in a fluttery voice, his tone cracking and nearly showing the held back tears. “ _Damn it_ , this wasn’t…this wasn’t supposed to be how I’d find you. You’re _Sportacus_ , you don’t let…you aren’t supposed to be beaten and yet _here you are_. I…”  
He smacked Sportacus’s shoulder.  
“ _You couldn’t have just hid for a few more minutes?! A few more hours? Days? Weeks? However long this happened ago –_ “Robbie sobbed, his body trembling. The tears flowed freely, staining his cheeks and dripping onto Sportacus’s chest.  
“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…” He wept.  
Stephanie and the group finally crossed around Sportacus’s statue, their faces turning ghostly white as they looked upon the terrified expression the hero held. Ziggy nearly burst into tears just from the sight. Trixie held a mix of fury and grief. Stephanie covered her mouth as she cried.  
Robbie, shaking from his crying, slowly wrapped his arms around Sportacus’s statue and gave it a hug, fruitlessly hoping that by some slim chance he’d open his eyes and find Sportacus alive and moving, and that he’d return his hug.

No such thing happened.

The kids hugged each other, crying terribly both from the sight as well as the implications of finding their hero in such a state.  
The one person who they hoped could provide some answers about this terrible ordeal was lost to the very curse they were trying to break.  
Minutes later, all exhausted and fatigued, Trixie broke away from the hug and crossed over to Robbie. She avoided making eye contact with Sportacus’s statue as she tugged on the back of his vest.  
“Robbie, what are we going to do? If Sportacus can’t help us, what can we do?” She asked quietly.  
Robbie, shuddering and slowly pulling away from the statue, sniffed and turned to look at the girl.  
Trixie recoiled, seeing Robbie’s reddened and tear-stained face, and the defeated expression he bore.  
“I don’t even know. With Sportacus…gone, I don’t have any idea of where or how to start.” He said, sniffling as he tried to fight off another wave of tears.  
Trixie’s face fell, and she shuffled in her spot. She watched as Robbie pulled out the crystal device from his pocket, its chirps and cries softened and a near whimper. It was as if the crystal itself was crying as well. His gaze tiredly held fast to the crystal as he rolled it around in his hand, his eyes closing as he sighed wearily.  
Biting her lip, she looked away thoughtfully. A thought crossed her mind, and she gently placed a hand on Robbie’s shoulder.  
The villain looked up with a forlorn and exhausted gaze.  
“Hey, uh, I know you’re upset. And, maybe this isn’t a great time to say this, but I figure I should try.” She started awkwardly. “Just…it’s like you were saying earlier to me. We can’t, you know, lose hope. Like Pinky says, there’s always a way. So, maybe we can still find that mirror? We can at least defeat the monster, and maybe that’ll help? Right?”  
Robbie’s gaze drifted away, returning to the floor.  
Trixie sighed and shuffled away.  
“S-Sorry, guess it was a bad time.” She mumbled as she returned to her friends.  
Ziggy was wiping away tears with his dampened shirt sleeve. Stephanie walked up and placed a hand on her friend’s arm, comforting her and reassuring her that she made a good effort.  
“I just…I know we can’t stay here too long. We have to do _something_.” Trixie said with a furrowed brow.  
“I know, and I know you’re trying. Thank you.” Stephanie said with a sad smile.  
  
For a time, things were quiet once more. The kids sat together, none saying a word as none were sure of what to say. A few sniffles and tears still remained, but for the most part the children were too exhausted to cry any more. Robbie remained by the statue that was Sportacus, his gaze directed at the floor. Stephanie thought she saw him hold Sportacus’s stone-cold hand for a moment.

Then, Robbie took a step away from Sportacus’s statue.  
“You’re right.” He said softly.  
Trixie, Stephanie, and Ziggy looked over with puzzled expressions.  
“Right about what?” asked Stephanie.  
Robbie sighed and looked over at the kids.  
“About not giving up. I know we can’t just sit here, and we shouldn’t. If we want to have any hope of saving everyone, we have to find that mirror.”  
Stephanie walked closer.  
“So we’re going to keep looking?” She asked.  
Robbie nodded.  
“We need to reach the end of this hallway. I have a feeling about this place, and I think the mirror’s nearby.”  
“And what will we do with it?” asked Trixie.  
Robbie gave a thin smile.  
“We’ll find where the monster is and set up a trap. If we catch it off guard, we have a better chance of gaining the upper hand and, maybe, actually slaying it.”  
His eyes drifted back to Sportacus’s statue.  
“And maybe, we’ll get an idea of how to break this stupid curse.” He said more softly.  
Trixie grinned.  
“I like the sound of a trap! Do you have anything in mind?”  
“Nothing specific yet.” Robbie responded. “We’ll have to see what we have to work with first.”  
“Then I guess we should get moving? We don’t have any clue how long this hallway is, or how much more time we have with the monster not around.” Stephanie suggested.  
“Well…” Robbie said thoughtfully. “you guys get started, I’ll catch up.”  
Stephanie nodded and started ahead, giving one last look to Sportacus’s statue as she went. Ziggy, wiping away the last of his tears, was guided by Stephanie, him dragging his feet as they went. Trixie followed along last, hesitating while watching Robbie, until she was finally gestured away by Stephanie.  


Robbie, alone with Sportacus once more, sighed quietly as he turned back to face him, his eyes tired and sad.  
He looked upon the hero’s terrified expression and the tears in his uniform, most likely left over from a fight. With the monster? Robbie wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to consider that there were more things to fight around the castle walls. With a small smile, he let himself trace the contour of Sportacus’s jaw, too cold and rough for his liking.  
“It’s wrong for you to be this cold, Sportadummy. I always thought of you as warm and full of life. Too loud at times, but lively. So, this…” Robbie started, before he stopped himself. He brushed another tear from his eye with his wrist and tried to calm himself through deep breaths.  
“I-I’m not going to leave you like this. I promise, we’ll find a way to reverse this. Not just for you, but for everyone. And at the least, I’m going to get payback on your behalf. Trust me, that monster won’t know what hit her.”   
Robbie paused.  
“Or, at least I _hope_ that’s what you were planning originally. Hopefully you weren’t trying to _break her_ curse as well, and this isn’t…” He started.  
He shook his head.  
“No, I can’t doubt this right now.” He told himself, before looking back at Sportacus. “We’re going to defeat the monster, and we’ll free you and everyone else. I promise.”  
He looked up once more, looking into Sportacus’s unmoving eyes. He made a small sound, a tired sound of disappointment. As if he expected a response from the stone visage.  
“I’m not going for good. I’ll be okay, same with the kids. They’re all being so brave, I bet you’d be proud.” Robbie said, before placing a soft kiss on the statue’s forehead.  
Cold, the skin was cold and textured, and Robbie had to force himself not to focus on that.  
“I’ll be back. See you soon.” Robbie said with a weakly confident smile.

With a small, reluctant hesitation, Robbie turned away and only allotted himself one glance back before he jogged towards the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...at least they found Sportacus? Oh boy things hopefully will get better for the kids and Robbie. Hopefully >:)
> 
> Sorry for the lateness of this update, I haven't had time to work on this fic but I'll try and make time for it, though I think the next update won't be for at least another two weeks. Apologies, work is picking up once more.
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

The group moved swiftly down the hallway, passing by more statues and pieces of broken rock as they went. The lighting grew increasingly fainter as they went along, the torches shattered into pieces. Stephanie led the charge with her flashlight, illuminating a small trail in front of them, her eyes focused on the spot ahead.  
“I think we’re getting close to the end of the hallway.” She noted, pointing at a cluster of statues up ahead.  
“Can you see the end?” asked Trixie.  
“No, but I can just feel it. Also, there’s more statues, so there must be _something_ important nearby.” Stephanie responded.  
“Well we’d better hurry. I could’ve sworn I heard something back at the opening.” Robbie noted nervously, glancing behind his shoulder.  
The group continued to run, their path growing illuminated by skylights up above them, bringing filtered, blue-tinted light into the hallway. Glancing up, Robbie noticed that the skylights were shaped like different phases of the moon, growing close to a full moon as they went along.  
“Oh yeah, the mirror _has_ to be down here.” Robbie noted confidently.  
“Look! There it is!” Stephanie said.

The group slowed to a walk as they approached a pedestal surrounded by statues, many with their arms stretched out ahead towards the mirror. The mirror itself looked almost like a dish, perched atop a holder shaped like a wave, all presented atop a marble pillar. Above the mirror hung a small, crystal charm, carved into a crescent shape that glittered and shone against the walls.  
Stephanie stepped up first, soon followed by her friends, and she glanced at the mirror’s glass. The mirror was not made of glass, however, much to her surprise.  
“It looks like…water?” She said.  
“Well, how do we get it to work?” Trixie asked.  
Stephanie paused, her eyes widening.  
“Um…did the book say something about that?” She asked sheepishly.  
“Maybe we could ask it nicely?” suggested Ziggy quietly.  
The group paused, looking at each other.  
“Well, I didn’t have any other ideas. We could give it a try.” Trixie said.  
Robbie nodded and gestured towards the mirror to Stephanie.  
Stephanie looked back at the mirror, gulping down a breath as she stared down into the clear, shimmering water.  
“Hi mirror, um…can you show us…” She asked nervously. “…can you show us the princess?”  
The mirror hummed and chimed, its water swirling and shaking at the dish began to glow. The water grew murky and cloudy, filled with a gray fog that remained even as the mirror fell silent.  
“Why’d you ask for the princess? You know she’s…well, not that.” Robbie asked with a frown.  
“I figured I should try! This mirror is hundreds of years old; I don’t know if it’d recognize me asking for the monster.” Stephanie responded, sighing.  
She looked back at the mirror and grasped its sides.  
“Mirror, please, can you show us the monster?” She asked.  
The mirror hummed once more, waves forming in its water as the fog cleared away. The water grew clear for another moment, the mirror singing and humming until the water grew dark again, this time presenting an image of the courtyard surrounding the hole they jumped into.

And there was the monster, circling the courtyard and prowling around what looked like another statue.

Trixie’s face went white once she realized who that statue was.  
“Oh Pixel…” She said in a near whisper, watching with held breath as the monster tapped its claws close to the boy’s foot.  
The monster growled, baring its teeth right at the statue, as if it were contemplating smashing it into pieces. The group watched in horror as it raised its tail, with Robbie pulling the children away to shield their eyes from the sight.  
Then, they heard a small sound, and Robbie saw the monster freeze, its attention snapping over towards the noise.  
With a growl, it stretched its wings and flew up into the air, leaving Pixel in one piece and flying across the castle grounds, the mirror following it like a camera.  
Robbie sighed in relief, letting the children go and back to the mirror.  
“I-Is Pixel okay Robbie?” asked Ziggy.  
Robbie nodded.  
“Yes. Luckily the monster got distracted by something. I think Pixel and the rest of us safe for a little while longer.” He said.  
“Then we should come up with _some_ sort of plan. We have no clue if we’ll have another moment like this in the future.” Trixie said determinedly, jumping up to the top step to look at all her friends.  
“Well we have decided that we’re going to…well we’re not going to try and cure the princess’s curse, right?” asked Ziggy, looking uneasy with the idea.  
“There’s few other options, Ziggy. We’ll have to…um, take her out.” Trixie said.  
“Okay, but how? She seems pretty aware, and if we look into her eyes we’ll be statues too.” Stephanie asked.  
“Well, she’s pretty agile, so I think the best thing to do is get her to stay still for long enough that we can take her out.” Trixie said, tapping her chin.  
“L-Like, with bait?” asked Ziggy, visibly quivering at that point.  
Trixie’s eyes widened.  
“Oh, n-no Ziggy, we’ll avoid that as much as possible. Maybe a distraction, something that doesn’t require one of us to get hurt.” She said.  
“Then what? What will keep her still?” Stephanie asked.

Robbie looked about the room, pausing when he noticed something shining in the corner. Walking over, he crouched and carefully pulled the object closer. His eyes widened; it was a pair of spectacles, slightly cracked but still in one piece.  
He thought about Pixel’s goggles, and how the monster reacted to Stephanie’s reflector.  
“I think I might have an idea.” Robbie said, holding up the spectacles.  
The kids looked confusedly at Robbie.  
“Glasses? How will _those_ help us?” asked Trixie.  
“I was thinking about how Pixel’s goggles helped him earlier, and how the monster reacted to Stephanie’s mirror. I think, and I’m not sure if it’ll completely work, but I think that we could combine those two reactions and keep the monster in place. It’ll be distracted by its reflection, and the lens will possibly prevent the stone gaze power.” Robbie explained.  
“And you’re sure that’ll work?” asked Stephanie.  
“I don’t know if we have room for doubt, Stephanie. We’ll just have to try it.” Trixie said, stepping forward and reaching for the glasses.  
Robbie held the glasses away from the girl.  
“Oh no no no, you are _not_ wearing these.” He said firmly.  
“What? Why not?” Trixie asked angrily.  
“You really think I’m letting _you_ be the distraction? No way; you three are in charge with landing the killing blow. I’m not taking a chance on one of you three being turned into statues and put into harm’s way.” Robbie said with a frown.  
“And what about you? We won’t let that happen to you either!” Trixie said defiantly.  
“Yeah! No one should be put in that much danger!” Stephanie said.  
“Yeah!” said Ziggy.

Robbie sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose.  
“Look, I appreciate you guys’ sentiment, I really do. But we don’t have time for that kind of courage. _Someone_ has to distract the monster, and out of the four of us, you guys are the ones that need to be kept safe the most.” He said.  
“But – “Trixie started.  
“No buts! Now let’s look around and find something to kill this monster.” Robbie said, stuffing the glasses into his pocket.  
The kids were very upset, their brows furrowed and teeth gritted, ready to protest more. But they eventually, reluctantly accepted Robbie’s assertion and started looking around the statues. Most of the weapons were unfortunately turned to fragile stone with their owners, but there were a few usable ones scattered around the hallway. Stephanie found a metal bow with a quiver of arrows, and a small knife to use for defense. Ziggy also found another knife along with a quarter sword. Trixie found two swords of her own.   
The three brought their finds to Robbie.  
He scrunched his nose at their results.  
“That’s it?” He asked.  
“Well not like we’re searching the castle. We’re in a remote hallway; I’m surprised we found _anything_.” Trixie responded with a frown.  
“Fair enough. Hopefully it’ll be enough.” Robbie said, walking away from the group. “We’d better get going then.”  
Robbie slowed and looked behind him, noticing the downturned faces of the kids.  
Stopping, he forced a small smile and crouched to the kids’ level.  
“Hey, come on, we’re gonna win, okay? We’ll defeat that bad monster, and everything will be okay. Just try and smile, or at least think about something happy, okay? We’ve got this.” He said.  
Stephanie gave a small smile back.  
“You kind of sounded like Sportacus there.” She noted.  
Robbie shrugged and nodded.  
“What can I say? The darn elf rubbed off on me I suppose.”  
“Really? Then you think you’ll play some games with us once all this is over?” asked Ziggy.  
“Let’s not push our luck, okay Zippy?” Robbie responded, standing back upright.  
“That’s Ziggy!” He responded.  
“Whatever.” Robbie said with a joking smirk.  
The other kids rolled their eyes and smiled, feeling a little better as they marched behind Robbie, back towards the opening of the tunnel.

\--

The troupe emerged from the hole they’d dropped down, their weapons and tools in hand, and back into the cool night air. The whole courtyard was tinted in an eerie, pale blue cast by the moonlight. Shadows stretched across the ground, reaching with long nails towards the group.  
Stephanie shivered.  
“This place is so scary at night.” She noted uneasily.  
Robbie looked over at Stephanie and patted her head.  
“Just think about how we’ll be out of here for good soon. You’ll never have to see this place again.” He said.  
“You’re sure?”  
“Of course. Now let’s keep going.” Robbie said, keeping at the front of the group.  
The three kids followed close behind the villain, staying in a single-file line, their weapons drawn and at the ready. The group stalled only once they reached Pixel’s statue, their eyes widening and faces paling as they gazed upon his terrified expression.  
Stephanie stared with a hand cupped over her mouth. Ziggy looked away sadly. Trixie sucked in a sharp breath.  
“Trixie?” asked Robbie.  
“That monster is going down, I swear. I’ll make sure I lop off its stupid head with my sword.” She seethed, holding up the rusted blade.  
“Then I’ll get out of your way, so you can get the first swing.” Robbie said with a small smile.  
  
A roar echoed through the courtyard, sending shingles tumbling off a crumbling roof.

Robbie’s smile faded.  
“Let’s keep moving. I don’t think we have much time.” Robbie said, looking towards the direction of the noise.  
Robbie started off towards the front of the castle, pausing once he realized the kids weren’t following him. He watched from a distance as the kids talked to Pixel’s statue, saying words he couldn’t hear. They bade him a quick wave as they jogged along, catching up to Robbie.  
“What were you kids up to?” He asked.  
“Just telling Pixel that we’ll be back for him soon. That we just have to kill the monster.” Ziggy said.  
Robbie felt slightly uneasy hearing such a young boy casually talk about killing a monster, but nonetheless nodded.  
“Alright, well, get ready. I’ll draw the monster out, and you all get ready to hit it with your arrows and swords.” He said, pulling out the spectacles. “Try and find a place to hide. Wait until I get the monster to stare at me.”  
“And if your glasses don’t work?” asked Stephanie.  
Robbie paused, his face paling momentarily as he gulped down a thick breath.  
“T-Then, I suppose you should use that moment to run. Get back to LazyTown and find Mayor Meanswell and Bessie. See if they can get help.” He said, stepping away from the group before he could hear their protests.

The kids, realizing there was nothing they could do to change Robbie’s mind, scrambled to a few different positions. Stephanie and Ziggy hung towards Robbie’s right, hiding behind a crumbled wall. Stephanie pulled out her bow and prepared an arrow as Ziggy hung behind her, shakily clutching a knife.  
Trixie, meanwhile, ran towards the left side of the building, hiding in its shadows with her sword prepared, her eyes trained on Robbie.  
She gave an “a-ok” gesture to Stephanie, who returned her signal.

Robbie, meanwhile, walked unsteadily towards the very front of the church, stepping out of its shadow and into the light of the moon. He gripped the glasses tightly in his hands, his palms warm and sweaty. He gulped, his heart beating out of his chest as his plan slowly settled in his mind.   
He really was doing this, wasn’t he?  
He was really about to put his life on the line, and risk becoming a statue for all of eternity?  
_Him_? _Robbie Rotten_?  
“ _It’d be nice if I could have this courage at_ other _times of my life, and not just when I’m about to possibly die._ ” He thought to himself, clearing his throat.  
Cupping his mouth, he yelled into the still, night air.  
“HEY, MONSTER! COME GET ME, I’M IN THE OPEN AND HELPLESS!”  
Robbie shivered and waited, listening carefully for the beating of the monster’s wings.  
  
At first, there was nothing.

Then, the silence was shattered as the sound of leathery wings and an unearthly shriek filled the night.

Robbie’s face went white, and he fumbled to slip the glasses onto his nose. He squinted and recoiled after he looked through the lenses.  
“Geez, this guy was blind as a bat…” He muttered.  
The monster bellowed as its claws hit the ground with a shaking crash.  
Robbie yelped and, without another thought, turned on his heel, directing his gaze straight at the monster’s face.  
Oh gods, it was _hideous_.  
He’d gotten quick glances earlier, but nothing compared to seeing the horror of the monster’s visage up close. The craggy, wrinkled skin, the gnarled tusk-like teeth. The mass of writing, fire-red hair, framed by a crown of twisting horns. And its _eyes_ …they were horrible and inhuman, but impossible to look away from.  
Though Robbie barely got a moment to look, for as soon as the monster’s gaze met his, it unleashed the most ear-piercing of shrieks, its face contorting into a look of pure _fear_.  
It garbled and sputtered, rising up onto its hind legs and swinging a claw at Robbie, sending him flying off to the side.  
Stephanie gasped, watching from her hiding place as Robbie was flung through the air, his back smacking hard against a broken pillar. The spectacles went flying off his face, tumbling into a nearby patch of glasses.  
She watched as Robbie groaned, slumping against the pillar, his eyes thankfully closed as the monster slowly stalked after him.  
“Robbie, Robbie wake up…” Stephanie begged quietly as she fumbled with her bow. Standing into a kneeling position, she yanked the draw string back, her arms and aim trembling. She closed one eye as she trained her bow upon the monster’s calf. Exhaling nervously, she let the arrow fly.  
The arrow soared forward and embedded itself in the monster’s thigh. It shrieked and stumbled slightly, its attention immediately snapping towards the direction the arrow came from.  
Stephanie gasped and stumbled backwards as she pushed Ziggy further behind her.  
The monster stretched its wings, shooting straight upwards and landing mere feet away from Stephanie, its gaze immediately snapping to her, its eyes boring straight into hers.  
“N-No!” Stephanie screamed, feeling the stone curse draw up both of her legs.  
“Stephanie!” cried Ziggy in horror.  
“Hey ugly!”  
The monster turned for just a moment, but it was long for a sword to smack it straight in the face, drawing a long gash down its forehead to where its nose should be. The monster shrieked and recoiled, stumbling away from Stephanie. Ziggy helped Stephanie crawl away, deeper into the shadows, as he looked over her now stone legs.  
“Oh geez…” He said softly.  
Stephanie sniffled as she looked over her legs, her bow clattering to the ground.  
The monster, finally righting itself, growled lowly and prepared to sneak back towards Stephanie, ready to finish what it’d started. Another projectile, this time a rock, interrupted its plans, it clipping its ear.  
The monster shrieked and bared its teeth towards Trixie, who stood defiantly with her other sword drawn.  
“You want to mess with someone? Then mess with me! I’m ready for you!” Trixie stated firmly, holding the sword forward.

The monster glowered at Trixie and uttered a low growl, before charging straight at the girl with claws at the ready.  
“Trixie!” screamed Stephanie.  
Trixie lowered her eyes and, with as strong of a battle cry as she could muster, plunged forward and straight towards the monster, lifting her sword in preparation of a swing.  
Robbie, collecting himself, looked over towards the battle charge. His face paled as he quickly scrambled for the glasses, crawling towards the patch of grass and sifting hastily through the brush.  
Trixie forced her eyes closed as she wildly and blindly swung at the monster. She felt the blade clatter against its rough skin and heard the sickening squelch as the blade dug and bit into the monster’s body, drawing warm blood that dribbled onto her hand. She heard the monster’s shriek, and felt the shadows shift as it shifted to her right. She came to a skidding halt and opened her eyes, finding herself staring straight at Stephanie.  
“T-Trixie, get away from it. _Please_.” She begged quietly, her eyes fixed on the bloody blade.  
Trixie panted and lifted the sword, looking curiously at the pale green blood that stained the sword. Looking back at Stephanie, she gave her friend a reassuring and confident smile.  
“No worries Pinky, I’ve got this. I just need to give Robbie a little more time.” She said, her attention being caught by the monster’s howl.  
“Trixie…” Stephanie said in a near whisper, her eyes watering.  
Trixie turned away, shutting her eyes once more as she prepared her blade.  
The monster roared and yelled, its claws digging at the ground.  
“Bring it, ugly.” Trixie hissed.  


Charging forward, Trixie raised her sword, her eyes shut, hoping to pierce the monster’s heart as she scrambled towards the lumbering beast.  
The monster hissed and sprinted towards the young girl, its wings outstretched and its jaw open, ready to snap up Trixie if she missed or ran the wrong direction.  
Trixie steeled her nerves and, avoiding the snapping jaws of the monster, she slid across the ground and thrusted her sword upwards. She heard the sickening _squish_ of the sword burrowing itself in the monster’s stomach, blood dripping downwards and splattering against her face.  
“ _Gross! Yet kind of cool._ ” Thought Trixie as she slid to a stop, stopping right behind the monster.  
The monster shrieked and groaned, curling around the sword in its stomach. It shivered and grumbled, saliva mixing with the green blood in puddles on the ground as it twitched and stood still.  
Trixie opened her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief once she saw that the monster was behind her. She chuckled as she listened to the monster’s grunts.  
“Not so tough huh? You’re getting beat by a little girl! Pretty pathetic!” She taunted it, pawing around at her sides.  
She paused once she remembered where her sword was.  
“ _Dang it, I left the sword in its stomach, didn’t I? Okay Trixie, think. What else could I - ?_ ” She thought nervously, looking around her surroundings.  
“TRIXIE!” shouted Robbie, stumbling and running towards the girl.  
Trixie’s attention turned to the villain, a smile crossing her face.  
“Robbie! I injured it! I think we won’t need – “She said, standing to her feet, not noticing how the monster’s tail twitched and swept towards her legs.  
Robbie, however, did notice.  
“Trixie! Get away! Quick!” He screamed, wildly waving his arms towards her right.  
Trixie, however, didn’t get a chance to react, as the tail swung a hard curve, pulling her body violently backwards. She was flung around the beast, sent flying and skidding across the pavement in front of the monster, her hip hitting hard against the brick pavement.  
Trixie grunted in pain, flinching and wincing as she felt her hip.  
“TRIXIE!” shouted Stephanie.  
Trixie’s eyes widened, realizing where she was relative to the monster. She scrambled to her feet, only to be knocked back down as the monster jumped up, landing with a loud crash against the brick.  
“C-Cheater! Let me get up!” spat Trixie as she fumbled for a weapon. Turning away with eyes shut, she reached for a broken stick laying close to her fingers. Blindly she fumbled, managing to be lucky and grab the stick.  
Before she could stand, however, she screamed as she felt a pair of claws sink into her leg and yank her backwards, the hissing growls of the monster suddenly very loud and very close.  
Trixie, shaking, clutched the staff close to her, hearing it click and tap against the ground.  
“I-I don’t have to open my eyes to kill you, you _beast_.” She spat, pointing the broken staff towards the monster. “Joke’s on you.”  
The monster snarled at the comment, its eyes glowing a ghastly yellow. It tapped a claw against the ground, an idea crossing its mind. Raising its claw, it reared back and swiped it at Trixie’s shoulder, drawing blood.  
Trixie yelped, her eyes opening for just a second. But it was a second too long.  
She soon was staring straight into the monster’s eyes, and she could hear the crackling noise.  
“D-Dangit, you stupid _creep_ …” She muttered, tears welling up in her eyes as the stone curse fully overtook her.

“NO!” screamed both Stephanie and Ziggy, who watched with tearful expressions as their friend was turned.  
They then gasped in alarm as the beast raised a claw, a dark and cold expression on its face. It growled lowly at Trixie’s statue, and Stephanie quickly realized what it was planning to do.  
“LEAVE HER ALONE!” She yelled as she struggled with her stone legs, pleading silently for them to work just long enough to save her friend.  
She stopped, however, once the beast shrieked in pain, rising up and recoiling, twisting and turning away from the girl to face its next opponent.  
That’s when Stephanie and Ziggy saw Robbie, limping and glaring at the monster with his spectacles on, a bloodied rock clutched in his hand.  
The monster let out a shrill cry as it prepared to crush Robbie, its balance shifting forward. Robbie responded accordingly, stumbling back as the monster landed roughly on its paws, narrowly missing a belly-flop that would’ve certainly killed it right there, given the sword still embedded in its stomach.  
Robbie, crying out, chucked the rock as hard as he could at the beast’s forehead, nailing it between the eyes.  
It shrieked and recoiled, its eyes shutting as it attempted to turn away.  
“Oh no you don’t!” cried Robbie as, in a moment of pure desperation, he grabbed at two of the monster’s horns and forcefully yanked its attention back towards him.  
The monster soon opened its eyes again, this time its gaze staring straight at Robbie, and at his glasses.   
It could see its own reflection in the glass, its own ugliness.  
And at that, it started to wail and writhe, wiggling feverishly to get away from the villain’s hold.  
Robbie grunted and cried out, struggling to keep the beast in place.  
“No! I’m not letting you go! You’ve caused enough trouble for tonight, and by the gods I will _keep_ you here until we rot, you hear me?!” Robbie snarled, glaring defiantly at the monster.  
The creature wept and whined, its eyes kept open and fearful, unable to turn its gaze away both from the grip Robbie had on its horns, and from another force, a force it understood once it heard a crackling sound.  
A crackling sound louder than any other before.  
“Robbie, the monster! It’s turning to stone!” Ziggy shouted, watching from his hiding spot as the monster’s hind legs slowly took on a gray color, and the crackling grew louder.  
Robbie let out a shuddered laugh, his own relief tempered with fear as he too felt his legs go stiff, and the crackling sound fill his ears.  
“Robbie, get over here! The monster is turning, we can leave!” Stephanie shouted.  
“N-No, no I can’t leave! If I break the stare, the effect will stop!” Robbie yelled back, shivering as the curse crawled up to his midsection.  
The monster uttered the most pitiful and whining scream as it beat its wings at the ground, attempting feverishly to get airborne, even as its lower half joined its hind legs in stone.  
“I-I don’t know if I can hold her!” Robbie shouted, his grip on the monster’s horns loosening as it hovered upwards.  
Stephanie, from her spot, pulled her bow close and prepared an arrow.  
“Ziggy! Get ready! Get your knife and make sure that monster doesn’t move again!” She said, aiming her sights at the monster’s wing.  
With a nervous nod, Ziggy darted forward, his knife in hand.  
Letting go of the drawstring, Stephanie fired the arrow, the arrow hitting its mark and plunging deep into the monster’s wing.  
It howled and screamed, tumbling back to the ground and cracking parts of its hind legs. Ziggy ran forward and, with his mightiest shout, he plunged his knife at the base of the monster’s wing, preventing it from flapping again.

The monster chuffed and whined painfully as it was forced to its spot, its eyes once again fixed forward and staring into Robbie’s spectacles.  
“It’s about time you…you paid for your crimes Alianore!” Robbie said, coughing and breathing uncomfortably as the curse crawled up his chest. “Time for…f-for you to see what it’s like! Feel how all your victims felt!”  
The monster shivered and cried, feeling its wings pinned forever to its body in stone, its forearms soon joining them.  
Robbie, too, glanced for only a second to see his arms turned to stone, keeping his grip firm on the monster’s horns.  
The monster whimpered, the curse passing its neck and traveling towards the face. Its red mane was stained a dull gray, its wild nature fixed.  
“I-I bet…y-you’re scared. I g-get it. I…this is w-worse than I…” Robbie said, feeling the trembling fear and horror start to overtake his mind as his neck was fixed in place, the curse crawling towards his own face.  
Tears rolled down his cheeks as the monster’s face soon grew fixed and stiff, the gray traveling across it. It let out one last, droning and thin whine as its face became complete stone.  
“T-This is for what you d-did to my friends…to Sportacus…” Robbie said, his voice growing thin and faint, as the stone curse poked at his mouth and nose, leaving his eyes for last.  
“Sport, I’m sor – “

The crackling sound gave way, and the courtyard was filled with silence.

From their spot, Ziggy and Stephanie laid still, watching with fearful expressions as the noise died out, their eyes fixed on the monster.  
At first, they feared that their victory was a farce, that the monster would be somehow immune to its own curse and would break free of the stone and chase after them once more.  
But as the minutes passed, the silence remained, and so did the stone monster.  
Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes, the two children exhaled, their relief palpable.  
“I-I think…I think the monster’s gone.” Ziggy said nervously, looking over at his friend.  
Stephanie, however, didn’t look as pleased. She was almost staring through the monster, and Ziggy realized what she was thinking about.  
Ziggy’s face paled.  
“You don’t think Robbie - ?” He asked.  
Stephanie looked at the boy sadly.  
Ziggy, the realization settling in, felt his eyes start to water.  
“Oh…” He said softly.  
Stephanie’s eyes sunk to the floor, her arms trembling as she stared down at her legs.  
Ziggy paused, looking about the courtyard, wondering if something else would happen. But nothing seemed to change; the statues were still statues.  
“I thought, maybe, the curse…” Ziggy said sadly.  
He heard Stephanie sniffle.  
“Stephanie?” He asked, watching his friend cry.  
“W-With the monster gone, I can go get Mayor Meanswell and Bessie. Maybe they can help us? Maybe…Maybe they’ll know what to do next?” He suggested.  
Stephanie shook her head firmly.  
“No. No they wouldn’t. This…this isn’t something they could help with.” She said softly.  
“H-How do you know? Maybe…” Ziggy said, his words fading once he saw how distraught his friend was.  
Instead, he sat down next to Stephanie, looking at her sadly.  
“They’re all gone, Ziggy. We’re the only ones who aren’t…aren’t…” Stephanie sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “The monster’s gone, but they’re still stone. I thought they were…they would be…”  
Ziggy, tearfully, hugged Stephanie, who broke down as soon as she felt her friend’s hug.  
She returned it the best she could, unable to move much due to her stone legs.  
The two just sat there for a time, weeping and hugging as they finally began to process the horrific realities they’d witnessed, and the mortifying facts they’d have to contend with.

\--

Hours passed before both Ziggy and Stephanie were in any state to determine the next course of action. Both children wiped away the tears and snot, their eyes puffy and red, shaking from the adrenaline and emotions.  
“S-Should I go get the Mayor and Bessie now? At least to get you to a doctor.” Ziggy asked, looking at Stephanie quietly.  
Stephanie, tired, nodded slowly.  
“I think that’s a good idea. And I’m sure it’s almost morning, so at least you won’t be walking in the dark alone.” She said.  
“H-Hey, I’d be okay alone in the dark! I don’t have a nightlight anymore.” Ziggy joked weakly.  
Stephanie gave a small, sad smile back.  
“I know that part, I just…after tonight…”  
“R-Right. I’ll be careful.” Ziggy said, picking an arrow up from Stephanie’s supply to keep on his person.

Emerging from the shadows for the first time that day, Ziggy crossed the courtyard, glancing momentarily at the monster’s statue. Forever it was frozen with a fearful snarl, its teeth bared but its posture backing away. Mere inches away from its face stood Robbie, his grip firm around its horns, his face a mixture of defiance, fear, and sadness. Both were locked in a battle. Possibly forever.  
Ziggy sniffled, giving a mournful look before he turned to start his slow trek back towards the town, the sun slowly rising over the horizon and illuminating the footpath.  
He could feel its warm rays that painted the castle grounds in orange, yellow, and pinks, chasing away the bitter blues and crawling shadows.   
He sighed. Usually mornings like these were so lovely, but this one held an air of mourning.  
He continued to walk towards the castle gates, when he stopped.  
The sound of crackling broke the silence.  
Ziggy turned on his heel towards the noise, looking back at the statues of the monster, Trixie, and Robbie.  
He could see a thin mist building around Trixie’s statue, and as he drew closer, he could see thin cracks building around her.  
His face grew white as he fearfully wondered if her statue was crumbling into dust, and that all the statues would meet that fate.  
As the crackling grew louder, however, it stopped sharply as the stone broke away, and in its place stood Trixie, in the flesh.  
She gasped and shook, stumbling backwards against the ground, laying flat on her back as she gasped and choked, coughing out clouds of dust.  
Ziggy gasped and immediately sprinted back towards his friend.  
Stephanie, from her spot, watched in amazement and joyous relief as she watched her friend breath easy, moving and _alive_.  
“T-Trixie!” She said with tearful relief, before she heard another round of crackling.  
This time, she looked down at herself, watching as cracks formed along her stony legs until the stone broke away like a shell, revealing her legs in perfect condition.  
With hope building inside her, she tentatively tried to wiggle her toes and bend her leg, finding that save for some stiffness, her legs worked perfectly.  
Thus, as soon as her strength returned, she immediately staggered upright and stumbled towards her friend, pulling Trixie into a tight hug.  
“Oof! Pinky! Not too tight!” Trixie said jokingly, returning her friend’s hug.  
“S-Sorry! I-I’m just so happy…you’re okay…” Stephanie said, happy tears rolling down her face.

Ziggy ran towards his friends to join the hug, but stopped as he heard another crackling noise, though this time it was ringing throughout the entire courtyard. The closest, however, came from Robbie’s statue, which was quickly beginning to break apart.  
The stone fell away and revealed a disoriented but very alive Robbie, who gasped and stood in stunned shock, coughing and choking on dust.  
“ROBBIE!” cried Ziggy, as he charged forward and clung to the man’s legs.  
Robbie nearly fell backwards, still unsteady from being a statue, but eventually returned Ziggy’s hug with a head pat.  
“H-Hey Zippy, I’m glad you’re okay.” He said with a small smile.  
“Robbie!” shouted Stephanie and Trixie as they ran around the monster’s statue. They joined Ziggy in hugging Robbie, crying happy tears.  
“Oh gods you two are okay too.” Robbie said in relief. He gave a pointed look to Trixie. “I thought you were a goner with the little stunt you pulled!”  
“It gave you the time you needed, right? You were the one who took an eternity to distract the monster!” She said with a laugh, wiping away her tears.  
“Hey! I still have one broken arm, remember? I’m not at full strength!” Robbie protested jokingly, pointing to his bandaged arm.  
“You still wrestled that monster!” Trixie pointed out.  
“Adrenaline can make you do some crazy stuff.” Robbie shrugged, his smile fading. “I’m just glad all of you are okay.”  
All three kids looked up at Robbie.  
“We’re happy you’re okay too.” Ziggy said.  
Robbie, finally, returned the kids’ hug.

The crackling sound continued, with more and more statues breaking away to reveal people, all disoriented and very weak.  
The kids were walking around, searching through the masses of people, when a voice caught their attention.  
“Hey! You guys did it!”  
The group turned around and gasped in surprise.  
“Pixel! You’re okay!” cried Trixie, charging forward to tackle hug him.  
Pixel grunted and fell back to the ground laughing.  
“Yeah, though you might’ve broken one of my ribs there!” He teased.  
Trixie gave the boy a look.  
“You’re a real jerk, you know that? Don’t play martyr ever again, or I’ll punch you in the arm.”  
“Man, I’m a statue for a whole night and I get threatened in the first few minutes of being flesh again.”  
Stephanie paused.  
“Wait, you _know_ how long you were stone?” She asked.  
Pixel nodded slowly.  
“Yeah, it was…really scary, actually. When I was turned, I couldn’t move or speak, but I was still aware of _everything_.” He said quietly, his eyes drifting to the ground. “When that monster moved near me…I’ll admit I wanted to scream.”  
Trixie hugged him tighter.  
“Well…at least you’re okay.” Stephanie said softly, looking about with a concerned look at the other freed people.  
The group’s attention was then drawn away as Stingy came stumbling forth, groaning and clutching his head.  
“STINGY!” cried Ziggy, Trixie, and Pixel, who ran to hug the boy.  
Stingy squawked at the sudden hug, but eventually returned the embrace.  
“Oh it was _terrible_! Absolutely _terrible_! I thought that I’d be gravel every time that blasted monster came near me! That was easily the worst ordeal I ever dealt with!” He bemoaned.  
“I think we could believe that.” Trixie and Pixel noted.  
“I’ve come to a decision everyone.” Stingy said, standing up straight and dusting off his vest. “If another magical mission comes up, you can _definitely_ count me out! I’m done for life!”  
The kids giggled, finally relaxing for the first time in what felt like forever, all together as a group again.

After a few seconds, Stephanie looked about curiously.  
“Wait, where’s Robbie?” She asked, not seeing the villain.  
The kids looked puzzled until they all came to the same realization.  
“We’d better meet up with him. This way!” Pixel said, leading the charge.

Altogether, kids ran towards the main castle, passing by droves of confused and dazed people.

\--

It was as soon as Robbie made sure the kids were okay and the curse was being lifted that he sprinted towards the back of the castle, back towards the hidden hallway they’d hid in earlier.

If all the statues were returning to normal, he knew he had to find Sportacus.

He had to be the first to meet him, and embrace him, and for the love of all things he had to make sure he was okay.

Robbie leapt over crumbled pillars and debris, skidding around a corner as he bolted towards the destroyed building. He jumped down the hall and sprinted down the hallway, panting as he did.  
Down he went, through the darkened hallways, passing by the rubble and broken statues as he went.  
“Sportacus? Sportacus!” He called, his legs growing heavy and his heart sinking as he heard no response.  
He ran and ran, stopping only once he reached Sportacus.  
His heart dropped, and his eyes began to water. Sportacus was still trapped as a statue.  
“S-Sportacus? But…But the curse is broken…” Robbie said softly, tears rolling down his cheeks.  
He approached the statue and felt the cold texture of the stone, shivering as he did.  
“I-I don’t understand. All the other statues are freed, so why aren’t - ?”  
Then, Robbie remembered something from the story.  
_Let your sins be only washed away with the light of the dawn.  
_ “ ‘The light of the dawn’…” He said thoughtfully, before snapping his fingers in revelation. “Of course! Sunlight! That breaks the curse!”  
He looked about, his hopes fading once he realized just how far he’d have to carry Sportacus’s statue to put him in the sunlight, and that’s assuming he didn’t accidentally slip and drop -   
Robbie didn’t want to think about that. Instead, he looked around, spotting a broken, metal spear laying the corner. Scooping it off the floor, he surveyed the ceiling, looking for a weak spot. Luckily, there was one such spot only a foot or so away from Sportacus, so he started whacking and beating at the aged stone, chipping away pieces at a time.  
Bit by bit, more of the brick fell away, and more thin rays of sunlight filtered through to cast beams across the aged floor. Robbie wiped a layer of sweat off his forehead as he went along, feverishly breaking apart the stone.  
“Come on, come on _break already_ …” Robbie muttered, grunting as he struck the stone more forcefully.  
The last strike did the trick, with the rest of the stone, plus some of the ones around it, shattering into pieces and raining down upon Robbie. He shielded his head and neck, jumping back as the stone fell away with dirt and grasses, opening a brand-new skylight that illuminated the darkened halls. The sun’s beams crossed the floor, grazing upon the Sportacus’s statue.  


Robbie waited expectantly, his eyes fixed upon the elf’s form.  
After an agonizing few seconds, Robbie’s heart lifted as the deafening, crackling sound started once more.  
Cracks and breaks ran along and formed all across Sportacus’s statue, dust falling into clouds as the crackling grew louder and louder. The sound grew until it suddenly stopped, the noise being replaced by the crumbling of stone as the rock fell away, uncovering Sportacus’s body.  
The hero gasped and shuddered, sputtering and choking on dust as his arms finally fell to his sides. Shivering and trembling, he collapsed onto his knees.  
“Sportacus!” cried Robbie as he rushed to his side, pulling him into his arms.  
The elf’s cap fell to the side as Robbie smoothed out his messy, damp blonde curls, his embrace growing stronger as he felt Sportacus’s shivering continue.  
“Sportacus, Sportacus it’s okay.” He said softly, tears rolling down his cheeks.  
Sportacus coughed and let out a shuddered cry, his eyes still fixed wide open.  
“R-Robbie…” He said in a hoarse voice.  
“I’m here, I’m here Sportacus. It’s okay, it’s okay…” Robbie said, not sure who he was reassuring at this point.  
The hero blinked, his shivering intensifying as his gaze finally broke from the spot he’d stared at for so long. It turned to his villain, and clarity returned to his eyes.  
“R-Robbie?” He asked. “Y-You’re…”  
Robbie pulled away just enough to smile at the hero.  
“I’m here, Sportacus. You’re okay, the monster is gone. Everything is – “  
Robbie was cut off as Sportacus pulled him back close, holding him close to his chest. He could feel Sportacus’s cheek rest against his, and he could feel the warm dampness of tears staining his head.  
“Oh gods, oh gods you’re okay. I-I thought…I feared…I was so scared it’d…” Sportacus stuttered, hiccupping as he cried.  
“I’m okay, Sportacus. Everything is okay.” Robbie reassured his elf. He began to slowly rub circles into the hero’s back, hoping to soothe him.  
“I-I was so scared. I-I saw…I saw _you and the kids_ and I was begging, I wanted to scream at you all to run but couldn’t…I was so sure the monster would…would...” Sportacus sobbed, his shaking growing.  
Robbie stopped, his body tensing.  
“You…you saw us here?” He asked.  
He felt Sportacus nod.  
“You were aware…” Robbie started, before he paused, remembering his brief stint as a statue.  
…He knew he had been trapped for at least a few hours. He was aware of that.  
Which of course meant…  
Robbie pulled away to look Sportacus in the eyes.  
“Sport, were you…you weren’t aware this whole time…were you?” He asked worriedly, internally hoping that the hero wasn’t.  
Sportacus sniffled, his expression growing broken.  
“Sportacus…” Robbie said in a near whisper, brushing away Sportacus’s tears.  
“I-I was…I counted the days by watching the little sunlight that made it down here.” Sportacus explained, his voice trembling. “I-It was so little. It’s so dark, and I couldn’t move and I…I…”  
Robbie cupped the hero’s face as he watched him begin to break down once more.  
“Sportacus, please breathe…breathe, it’s okay now…you’re safe.” Robbie said reassuringly, wiping away more of the hero’s tears.  
  
Sportacus choked and shuddered, slowly leaning forward to rest his forehead against Robbie’s chest.  
“F-Four long years…four years trapped down here…” He said with a sob.  
“Four years - ?” Robbie asked, furrowing his brow.  
He looked down at his hero.  
“Sportacus, you’ve been gone for two months. Where’d you get four years from?”  
“T-Two months? N-No, I counted. I counted t-those days…what else could I do I _counted_ it was…it was _years_ I…I…” Sportacus said, growing hysterical as he tried his hardest to think back, recounting the number of times the light passed.  
Robbie, noticing Sportacus spiraling again, simply pulled the hero close to his body as he rubbed his back, rocking him back and forth.  
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have questioned you. It’s not important right now. What’s important is you’re safe. You’re safe, and I’m here.” Robbie said, smoothing the hero’s hair.  
Sportacus sobbed and wept, hugging his villain tighter.  
“Shh, it’s okay.” Robbie said, only looking up as he heard footsteps.

The children approached, their joy fading to worry as they watched their hero so openly weep and sob.  
Robbie gave them a sad look before he turned back to Sportacus.  
“It’s going to be okay.” He said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, at least everyone's safe right? Feels broken and lots of hugs will be needed, but at least everyone's alive and moving. Though I do wonder why Sportacus believes he was trapped for four years? It couldn't be something nefarious planned by the fanfic writer, could it? >:)
> 
> Next chapter will be the conclusion! Sorry for the pauses between updates; I'm hoping the ending will be ready soon!
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

It took nearly an hour of soothing and waiting for Sportacus to reach any sort of composure, all the while Robbie and the kids sat with him and reassured him.  
During the brief pauses, Robbie filled the kids in on the situation.  
“So he was aware that _whole time_?” asked Stephanie in horror, looking worriedly at her friend.  
Robbie nodded as he massaged circles into Sportacus’s back. The hero looked absolutely beat, his eyes wearily stuck to the floor as he hiccupped and shook.  
“That’s what he said. And…well there’s something going on.” He said.  
“What? What else could be going on?” asked Stingy.  
“I really don’t want to say. Not now, anyways.” Robbie said, looking down at Sportacus.   
The hero was still a mess.  
“Sportacus? Do you think you’re ready to leave?” Robbie asked calmly.  
Sportacus nodded.  
“Alright, then you’ll need to help me out. I can’t exactly get up with you on my lap.” Robbie said with a small smile, in an attempt to lighten the mood.  
Sportacus smiled back weakly, then slowly stood to his feet. His balance was still awkward, his legs slightly numb from disuse, but he seemed to stand strongly enough. He balanced himself against Robbie, who in turn balanced himself against Sportacus. It was a mutual system of keeping each other upright as the group made the slow trek back towards the surface.  
  
As the area grew better lit, Sportacus’s eyes drifted down towards Robbie, him finally noticing the crude cast wound around his arm.  
“Robbie, your arm…what happened?” Sportacus asked worriedly, gently brushing a finger against the bandages.  
Robbie gave a weak smile.  
“Oh, nothing too bad. Just…fell off a roof. You know, normal stuff.” He said jokingly.  
Sportacus, however, looked horrified.  
“Robbie…” He said in a hushed voice, his eyes watering once more.  
“Hey, hey it’s okay.” Robbie said, stopping to calm the hero down. “This? It’ll heal in a few weeks. Stephanie said so. Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m fine. I’m more concerned about you right now.”  
Sportacus took a deep breath and made himself stand up straighter.  
“I’ll be fine. N-No need to be concerned about me.” He said.  
Robbie took his hand as Sportacus attempted to stroll ahead unassisted.  
“Sportacus.” Robbie said warningly. “Don’t start with that.”  
Sportacus winced and looked back at his boyfriend.  
“Don’t start acting strong just because you’re concerned about us. Please.” Robbie asked quietly.  
Sportacus’s face fell.  
“What are you thinking right now?” asked Robbie.  
Sportacus sighed and closed his eyes.  
“…or would you rather talk about it later?” suggested Robbie.  
“Maybe later.” Sportacus finally said.  
Robbie nodded, then slung Sportacus’s arm back around his shoulders.  
“We will talk about this though. You can’t avoid it forever.” He said, continuing their walk back towards the hole.  
Sportacus gave a small, non-committed noise as they continued to walk, eventually reaching the opening.

Sportacus flinched and squinted at the bright sunlight, its rays almost painful to his unadjusted eyes. So much time spent in darkness left the light far more intolerable than usual, yet Sportacus tried to fight his way through it. The sight of the open air, illuminated in the morning sun, brought sweet relief to Sportacus that nearly brought more tears to his eyes. But he didn’t let himself cry again. Instead, he sighed as he felt the cool air in his face once again, cooling his skin and ruffling his loose hair.  
The group continued on their way, walking past the hoards of confused and disoriented people, all staring up at the sky with blank looks on their faces.  
“Um guys? What exactly are we going to do about all the people? I mean, some of them haven’t moved for 500 years! How are we going to get them acclimated to the modern world?” Pixel questioned, looking with concern at a blank-eyed child staring at the grass.  
“I don’t know yet.” Sighed Robbie. “There are a lot of them, and we’ll need some – “

Robbie stopped as he finally noticed the new people in the courtyard. The group stopped with him, watching as the trio waved their hands about in circular patterns, their hands glowing in bright colors. From their hands formed spiral portals, tearing spaces in the open air that seemed to lead to another city, one that looked all together foreign to the group.  
Two of the people, a woman with long, silver hair, and a stocky man with ginger hair and beard, were leading and guiding some of the formerly statue people through the portals, while another, elderly man supervised.  
All three were dressed in elegant, flowing white robes adorned in silver and gold. Robbie soon noticed, peeking past their flowing hair, were points. Ear points.  
“Elves…” Robbie said quietly, staring both in awe and confusion.  
The elderly elf stopped, and turned towards the group with a hard stare.  
The kids instantly took a step back, intimidated by the man’s harsh glare.  
Robbie stood his ground, staring back.  
Sportacus, however, instantly stood to attention, leaving Robbie’s side and walking stiffly towards the older elf.  
“Sportacus? What are - ?” Robbie asked, following along a few paces behind.  
Robbie paused right behind Sportacus as the hero stopped, giving a firm yet shaky salute to the elder elf.  
The elder regarded Sportacus with a casual nod.  
“Elder Brími, I have finished the mission you assigned me.” Sportacus reported, his voice steady and even.  
Brími cocked an eyebrow at Sportacus, looking unimpressed with the hero.  
“I can see that, Sportacus 10. And you’ve finished it two months behind schedule. This is quite unlike you; you’re usually so timely.” He said, turning to direct another group of people towards the portals.  
Sportacus’s face fell, his expression hurt.  
Robbie, from his place, silently urged Sportacus to argue and mention his captivity by the monster. He grew discontent as Sportacus instead remained quiet, his hurt expression vanishing once the elder faced him again.  
“Still, the mission is complete. The stone gaze monster of the lost kingdom has finally been vanquished. Your tardiness, however, has resulted in a backlog of missions for you to complete.” Brími noted, snapping his fingers.  
A scroll appeared in his hands.  
“Here’s your next mission. There’s a hydra out on the Southern coast that needs dispatching. Please depart for your mission tomorrow morning, this mission is very time sensitive.” He said, handing the scroll to Sportacus and walking towards the other two elves.  
Sportacus, his face growing white and his expression broken, slowly took the scroll and looked at it with a distant stare. His hands shook as he unrolled the scroll, his teeth sinking into his lip as he glanced over the words.  
He didn’t express any sort of dismay or contest this assignment. He simply nodded.

However, this lack of anger was just unacceptable to Robbie. After watching in disbelief as Sportacus simply shrank back to his superior, he decided to take things into his own hands. He stormed over to the elder elf and tapped his shoulder.  
“Excuse me, but what are you _doing_? Sportacus just finished a difficult mission, and you just hand him another immediately afterwards?” Robbie asked, frowning.  
Brími turned and looked at Robbie with absolute disdain. Scrunching his nose and furrowing his brow, he regarded Robbie with contempt.  
“And who are _you_ to question the actions of the council?” He asked.  
“I’m Sportacus 10’s boyfriend, that’s who I am. And I don’t happen to appreciate you sending him on dangerous, life-threatening missions all the time!” Robbie said with a glare.  
Brími hmphed and gave a smug smirk to the villain.  
“As if a human like yourself would understand the needs and motives of a council like ours. These missions are part of Sportacus 10’s duties as a hero. As a hero, his primary duty is to serve the rest of the planet in controlling and exterminating out of control monsters and magical beings that threaten individuals like yourself. This sort of mission,” He said, gesturing to the courtyard and the humans. “is simply part of the job. He knew that when he joined the council, thus neither him nor you can complain.”  
“Oh, but I _can_ complain. Why didn’t you respond to any of my distress letters, oh great and mighty council member? I would think you’d be worried about one of your heroes vanishing during a mission.” Robbie said.  
Brími frowned.  
“I will have you know that we care deeply about the welfare of Sportacus 10 and the other heroes. But the simple fact is that there are hundreds of Sportacuses within the council, and we cannot keep track of and ensure the safety of every, single one. One going missing is a tragedy, yes, but we simply don’t have the resources to procure and ensure the return of every hero. We’d lose more heroes trying to save one than if we just let the mission grow cold and then send another team at a later point.”  
“That makes NO SENSE!” Robbie nearly screamed, fuming at this point.  
“To you, perhaps, but you’re just a human. And not just any human, a human _villain_.” Brími retorted, glaring hard at Robbie.  
Robbie recoiled only slightly, his anger still intensifying.  
Sportacus stepped between the two men, holding his arms out like a barrier.  
“Please, apologies Elder Brími. Robbie’s just angry, h-he doesn’t mean it.” He said nervously.  
Brími lowered his eyes at Sportacus.  
“You should be lucky that I don’t report you, Sportacus 10. Fraternizing with a villain is not allowed within our council. I would strongly advise you desert this ‘relationship’ before it grows too difficult to separate. Lest, of course, you wish to distract yourself from your _duty_.”  
Sportacus shrank back, but then frowned.  
“I-I won’t leave him, Elder Brími. I love him. He came and saved me when…when the council _wouldn’t_.” He responded, his tone wavering.  
“Not wouldn’t, Sportacus 10, but _couldn’t_. We were inundated with missions and distress signals, and you know how many heroes we must keep an eye on.”  


“YOU LEFT HIM FOR TWO MONTHS!” Robbie shouted, pushing past Sportacus.  
“Robbie! Don’t!” Sportacus pleaded.  
“What kind of all-knowing, all-powerful organization leaves behind one of their members for two frickin’ months?! Did you even wonder where he was?!” Robbie spat, pointing an accusing finger at the elder.  
“As I already said Mr. Rotten, we have hundreds of Sportacuses in our system! We are deeply sorry for delaying Sportacus 10’s rescue for two months, but you must understand the number of heroes we must keep track of.” Brími answered.  
“Four years.”  
Brími stopped, then turned slowly to Sportacus.  
“What?”  
“I-It was four years.” Sportacus corrected quietly.  
Brími, rather unexpectedly, didn’t seem perturbed by this rather large time correction. Instead, his eyebrows raised in mild surprise as he nodded.  
“Ah, so then the field reports were right. There is a temporal shift within the castle walls. Quite a sizeable one it appears.” Brími noted casually.  
Robbie’s anger seized up once more.  
“What did you say?” He asked softly, venom dripping from his words.  
“This castle is temporally out of alignment with the rest of the world. When the great mage Althea first cast this castle into limbo, there was a weakness within her spell. It appears that not only was the castle geographically unstable, but temporally as well. How much time has passed since you’ve entered the castle?” Brími asked.  
“About a day.”  
“And when did you arrive?”  
“I guess…Sunday. Around midnight.” Robbie said.  
Brími looked towards the female elf.  
“Alfa, what time is it outside the castle walls? And what day?”  
Alfa raised her hands and drew a smaller circle in the air, summoning an elegant hourglass made of gold and crystal.  
“It appears…the day outside of the castle is Sunday, and it’s one in the morning.” She responded.  
Brími nodded as ice grew in Robbie’s heart, the realization settling in.  
“I see. So, it seems that a single, twenty-four hours roughly equates to an hour’s passage in the outside world. Our original hypotheses were too conservative, it appears – “  
Brími couldn’t complete his thought, as he was soon cut off by Robbie throwing a hook punch straight at his jaw, sending the elderly elf sprawling onto the ground. Alfa and the other elf charged forward, spells at the ready to take down Robbie and contain him.  
“Stop! Please!” Sportacus begged both Robbie and the other elves.  
“YOU MONSTER!” Robbie screamed as he prepared to punch the elf again, his attempt halted by Sportacus. “YOU KNEW! YOU KNEW THAT THIS PLACE WAS TEMPORALLY OUT OF BALANCE AND HAD A POWERFUL MONSTER THAT TURNED PEOPLE TO STONE, AND YOU SENT SPORTACUS IN ALONE?!”  
Robbie’s anger subsided to grief and horror, him sinking into Sportacus’s grip.  
“Y-You knew what it meant when I reported Sportacus missing. You _knew_ that h-he could be trapped here for years, and we’d just think he’d been missing for months. You _knew_ , and you can’t even bother to care. Not even _now_ …” Robbie spat, tears rolling down his face.  
Brími sat up, spitting a gob of blood from his mouth as he stared angrily at Robbie and Sportacus.  
“You’ve made a fine choice of allies, Sportacus 10. Do these humans have no sense of respect?” He remarked, standing back up.  
Sportacus looked down at Robbie, his expression saddened and hurt as he looked at Robbie’s despairing face.  
“This is an unfortunate situation. That I agree with, Sportacus 10. We apologize that you were left in such an…uncomfortable position for so long.” Brími said calmly.  
“I was a statue for four years. Four years. In the _dark_. I could barely see a thing and I couldn’t move for _four_ , _long years_.” Sportacus responded.  
Brími frowned, then nodded.  
“Yes, that is terrible. But we cannot dwell on that, can we? There’s work to be done Sportacus 10. Let us focus on that.”

Sportacus closed his eyes and breathed calmly, before he looked up at the elder.  
“No. Elder Brími, I’m not ready for another mission. With your honorable permission, I request some time off to recover.” He asked.  
Robbie looked up in surprise at Sportacus, feeling quietly proud of his hero.  
Elder Brími looked stunned, almost perplexed by Sportacus’s response.  
“You understand that I said your mission is time sensitive, don’t you? There is no time to be taken off.” He responded.  
“I understand that, and I’m sorry. But…I just need time. I need some time to heal and take care of everyone here. I just don’t think another mission is a good idea right now.” Sportacus said.  
Brími’s expression changed, shifting to a far direr look.   
“Sportacus 10, I thought you understood your duties as a hero. As a member of this council, your first priority is not to any one town. It’s not to any one group of people. It’s to the wellbeing of the entire world, and that’s above any other priority, including yourself. Right now, the world needs you to take care of a dangerous and lethal situation. You wouldn’t let them down, would you?” He asked coolly.  
Sportacus’s face paled, growing a ghostly white. He stuttered, reaching for words that refused to form in response.  
“I thought not.” Replied Brími.  
“What absolute _crap_.” Growled Robbie.  
Brími glared at the villain.  
“Excuse me?”  
“A hero can balance priorities perfectly well. Just because Sportacus’s job requires him to help the world, doesn’t mean he has to give up any sense of self-preservation and security. I thought a council that would train and create someone as selfless and amazing as Sportacus would represent that idea.” Said Robbie. “I guess I was wrong. Your council isn’t great, and you aren’t the reason that Sportacus is an amazing hero. He’s an amazing hero _in spite_ of you hacks. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”  
Brími gritted his teeth and raised his hand, his fingers glowing a bright green color.  
“I believe I’ve had enough of your _talk_ , human.” He spat, preparing a spell.  
“DON’T. YOU. DARE.” Warned Sportacus, raising his own spell, his hand glowing a bright, sky blue.  
“Are you threatening a council leader, Sportacus 10?” asked Brími angrily.  
Sportacus didn’t respond, instead holding his spell steadily.  
Brími responded by preparing a larger spell, his cohorts standing by his side with their own spells.  
Sportacus steeled himself, preparing for a difficult and near impossible fight.

Neither side, however, was ready for all five kids to dart between the group, pointing rocks, swords, and arrows at the elves.  
“Don’t you dare hurt Sportacus and Robbie!” Stephanie said warningly.  
“Yeah! You’ll have to get through us to hurt them!” Trixie said defiantly.  
“We can take you on!” Pixel said.  
“Yeah, your light show doesn’t scare us.” Stingy said with a smirk.  
“You guys are mean and awful!” said Ziggy.  
Brími stared down at the children, frowning.  
“Hmph, so be it.” He commented coldly, shocking even his fellow elves.  
“Elder Brími, stop!” Sportacus shouted, stepping through the blockade to face Brími on his own, his face a mixture of anger and disgust.  
Brími stopped, watching expectantly for Sportacus’s next move.  
Sportacus sighed wearily.  
“When I joined your council, I thought I would work to make a difference in the world. I wanted to help people, and I thought that’s what people like you stand for.” He started, shaking his head. “You left me behind here, didn’t look for me when I was missing for months in your time. I…I can accept that, as hard as it is. I know there are hundreds of heroes like me out on missions all the time.”  
He looked up with a dangerous look.  
“But, you didn’t just do that. You came here and insulted my friends and loved ones when all they did was ask questions and express their concerns. You try to force me to pick between Robbie and my hero duties. You _threatened children_ with magical force for standing up to you, and you threaten to curse my beloved when he was defending me.”  
Sportacus gritted his teeth and glared at the council member.  
“You, Brími, are a _horrible_ person. And if you truly do represent the thoughts and philosophy of the heroes’ council, then…then I want nothing to do with your council. Not anymore.”  
Brími raised an eyebrow at Sportacus.  
“You do understand, Sportacus 10, by leaving this council you will no longer be considered a hero? You forfeit your rank number and status forever? Is that truly what you want?”  
Sportacus closed his eyes, nodding slowly.  
Brími nodded.  
“If that is the case, then Daríus, take Sportacus 10’s crystal away from him. As he is no longer associated with the council, he from now on can no longer be a hero, and has lost the right to the magic crystal.”  
Daríus stepped forward and, giving an apologetic look to Sportacus, gestured for the crystal holder.  
Sportacus looked down at his chest, then remembered that his crystal holder was torn from his uniform. He looked about wildly until Robbie held the device out towards him.  
“Sportacus, you don’t have to do this.” He said quietly.  
Sportacus gave Robbie a sad smile and took the device back.  
“I do.” He said softly, pressing the button that releases the crystal.

Sportacus, giving one last look to his crystal, handed it slowly to Daríus. The elf stuffed the crystal into a pocket on his robe before stepping back with the other elves.  
“This is an unfortunate outcome, but unavoidable I suppose. We wish you the best in life.” Brími noted formally, creating a portal next to him.  
The three elves then sauntered away, disappearing into the portal with the last of the dazed humans.  
The kids lowered their weapons as Robbie stepped forward, looking nervously at Sportacus, who stood staring at the place Brími and his cohorts once stood.  
“Sportacus?” asked Robbie worriedly, placing a hand on the hero’s shoulder. “I…that was really brave of you. I-I think, if it helps, you did the right thing.”  
Sportacus remained quiet.  
“Sportacus? Are you - ?”  
“I’m fine.” Sportacus said quietly, as he started towards the front gate. “Let’s get the kids back home. It’s way past their bedtimes.”

Robbie, looking worriedly with a frown towards his boyfriend, nonetheless followed close behind, gesturing the kids to follow, leaving the castle for good.

\--

_A week later_

Stephanie walked down the road out of town, neatly trimmed grass transitioning to the overgrown fields as she made her way towards the billboard.  
A satchel, colored her characteristic bright pink, bounced against her hip as she went along, though no smile accompanied her jaunty stroll.  
No, Stephanie was determined in that moment. There was a certain person she was looking for and she had to talk to.  
And as she strolled around the billboard, she soon saw that person working outside, something rather uncommon if memory served her right.  
She walked up to Robbie, who was laying on the ground underneath a contraption suspended on a jack. It looked like a big, metal cube, and didn’t give Stephanie any clue as to what it would be.

“Hey, Robbie?” She said.  
Robbie jumped and clanged his head against the cube’s underside, swearing as he did.  
Stephanie cringed and took a step back as Robbie rolled out from underneath the cube. He pulled down his welding goggles and squinted at Stephanie.  
“Oh, it’s just you Stephanie. Don’t scare me like that! I can’t hear much underneath this thing.” Robbie said, gesturing to the cube.  
“Sorry, I didn’t know how else to get your attention.” She responded. She peered at the cube. “What exactly _is_ that thing?”  
Robbie’s face fell and he quietly sighed.  
“It’s…for Sportacus. To help him out.” He said, itching idly at his cast.  
“You’re worried about him too, aren’t you?” asked Stephanie. “He’s actually the reason I came over here.”  
“Is everything okay with him? He’s not…well he’s not acting worse, is he?” asked Robbie worriedly.  
“N-No, nothing worse. At least, nothing worse than how he’s been acting since we left the castle.” Stephanie said, kicking at some rocks and dirt. “But, even that isn’t great. We’ve all been worried about him. He doesn’t play with us as much as he used to, and when he does…well, sometimes we have to _force_ him to take a break, or else he’d just play games endlessly.”  
She chuckled quietly.  
“I mean, I like games as much as the next person, but eight games of basketball in a row would make anyone tired.”  
Robbie bit his lip.  
“I’ve noticed that too. I know he’s been staying up later and later. Though, I know it’s not just because of whatever reason he has to push himself to his breaking point.”  
Stephanie looked at Robbie with concern.  
“Is something else wrong too?” She asked.  
Robbie crossed his arms and sighed.  
“I don’t know if Sportacus would appreciate me telling you, but…well, he hasn’t been doing too well in the dark. He panics and gets too anxious to sleep if it’s too dark. I mean, I can theorize _why_ that is. I’m pretty sure it’s from being stuck in that hallway for four years, but he doesn’t seem to want to do anything to work with it.”  
“I thought you said he promised to talk to you?” She asked.  
“Yes, he did.” Robbie grumbled. “And he keeps putting it off. I’m pretty sure this whole ‘staying up late’ thing is a mixture of all three things: fear of the dark, not wanting to talk about his time as a statue, and that mysterious third thing that I’m pretty sure has to do with the hero council debacle. And all those things either mixed together or separately cause all the other negative behavior he’s been doing lately.”  
“At least it seems like you’ve got a bead on _what’s_ making Sportacus act different, but what can we do? He doesn’t want to talk to anyone. The others and I have tried to talk to him too, but he just deflects our questions.”  
  
“Well,” Robbie said, grunting as he stood to his feet. “I’m going to make him at least start talking if it kills me. And I think this puppy will help us get the conversation started.”  
“Yeah, what _is_ that box thing?” Stephanie asked.  
“It’s a surprise.” Robbie said, giving her a look. “And while I bet you’ll say something about being good at keeping secrets, I don’t want to take any chances of Sportacus hearing about this too early.”  
“You’ve got my word, I won’t mention a thing.” Stephanie said with a smile, drawing a cross on her chest.  
“Thanks.” Robbie said, pausing. “And, uh, sorry for dumping that all on you.”  
“Hey, it’s no problem! We both care about Sportacus, so it’s not like I _don’t_ want to listen.” Replied Stephanie.  
“Yeah but, you know, you’re barely _eight_. Seems a little weird, a grown man dumping his problems on a kid.” Noted Robbie.  
“I guess, but I don’t mind.” She replied.  
“How are you and the others holding up, by the way?” Robbie asked.  
Stephanie shrugged.  
“We’re doing better. Uncle found all of us a counselor. We’ve been seeing her to work through what happened. I know Ziggy’s still having nightmares, so is Stingy and Pixel. Trixie won’t admit it, but she has them too and so do I. But I think it’ll start getting better soon enough.”  
Robbie hmphed.  
“Now if I could just get Sportacus to go to one…” He mumbled to himself.  
“What about you? I know you went to the doctor, but have you been seeing someone?” She asked.  
Robbie shuffled uncomfortably in his place.  
“Sort of? I don’t know, I’ve never had much luck with therapists in the past. The ones I’ve seen like to jump to tons of conclusions. They never really listen.”  
Stephanie smiled and pulled out a little business card.  
“Well, I think ours is really great. Make sure you give her a call, okay?” She said.  
Robbie tentatively took the card, giving it a good look over. It was embossed and glossy, shining in the sunlight.  
“Okay?” asked Stephanie again.  
“Sure. As soon as I can get Sportacus to talk again, I will.” Robbie said hurriedly, stuffing the card back into his pocket.

Satisfied, Stephanie started to turn away.  
“Good luck, by the way.” She said.  
Robbie looked over once more.  
“Thanks Pinky.” He said with a smirk, before sliding the welding goggles back over his eyes.  
Stephanie smirked back before she jogged away, back towards the sports park.

\--

Robbie had just finished up his little plan’s set up when he heard the rhythmic sounds of feet hitting the dirt and grass. He looked up, seeing the blue-clad figure running through the fields, making a beeline towards the billboard.  
Robbie gave a nod as he checked over his little set up. He looked up just as Sportacus skidded to a stop, a crinkled note clenched in his fist.  
“Robbie! I got your note! You wanted to meet with me?” Sportacus asked, panting.  
“I did. Sit.” Robbie said, pointing to his cow blanket, laying out in the grass.  
Sportacus looked confused, but nonetheless obliged. He gave a worried glance up at the sky as he did, watching where the sun held in the horizon.  
He had a little less than an hour before dark.  
“I’m sorry Robbie, but this won’t be long will it? I’m really sorry, I just should get going back to the airship. It’s getting dark and – “  
“Patience Sportaloon.” Robbie gently chastised his hero. “Trust me, you’ll really like my little surprises.”  
“Surprises?” asked Sportacus.  
Robbie nodded and whipped out a remote with a single, bright red button. Pressing the button, the metal cube Robbie had been working on earlier sprang to life, unfurling and unfolding, attaching sides together and revealing panels of class. Clicking and whirring, the cube continued to form into a decidedly less cubical shape, until it formed a shape that Sportacus recognized.  
“Is that…a tent?” He asked.  
“Not just any tent! It’s my Tent-o-Stargazer 6000!” He announced. “I know, the name’s a little lame, but I was short on time. It’s for us to use!”  
Sportacus looked pleasantly surprised, a smile crossing his tired face.  
“You went to all that trouble? This looks amazing, Robbie!” He said.  
Robbie tapped a button on the side, the tent doors sliding to the sides. Inside, Sportacus could see a little room with warm, cream colored walls. There were already fluffy pillows and blankets at the ready.

Robbie crawled inside, followed closely by Sportacus. The atmosphere was so relaxing that Sportacus could already feel himself start to drift off.  
“This is so amazing Robbie! It’s so cozy in here!” He gushed, looking around and up at the clear ceiling.  
“I thought you might like it.” Robbie said with a smile. “I thought, since you don’t seem to want to sleep in the lair, this might be a nice compromise.”  
Sportacus’s smile faded at the memory of the last few nights.  
Robbie’s own smile weakened as he scooched closer to his boyfriend and pulled him deeper inside.  
“It’s okay, by the way. I’ve never been a fan of camping, but these walls are so strong that no bug or weird animal would dare crawl inside! Plus, I’ve added a little electric candle for you. It’ll keep a little illumination through the night, just in case.” He said reassuringly.  
Sportacus chuckled sadly.  
“Thank you Robbie. I’m sorry, I guess…guess it’s just a little odd. A her…a former hero who’s scared of the dark and being underground. Not very heroic.”  
“You’ve been through a lot.” Reminded Robbie. “You’ll get through this, and you won’t be bothered by the dark and being underground as badly. We’ll work through it together.”  
“Yeah?” asked Sportacus.  
Robbie nodded.  
“Yeah. But,” Robbie said, standing up straighter with a more serious look on his face. “that does mean we need to talk about your time in the castle.”  
Sportacus’s face paled.  
“I-I…couldn’t that wait a little longer? You seem to have a really nice evening planned. It’d be a shame to ruin it.” He suggested weakly.  
Robbie gave him a look.  
“Sport, sorry to squash your hopes, but talking is the _whole reason_ I planned this little get together.” He said.  
Sportacus’s ears drooped underneath his cap.  
“Oh.” He said.  
Robbie placed a hand on Sportacus’s shoulder.  
“So, what’s on your mind? Or more…what was on your mind when you went to the castle? Please, just tell me what you can.” He said.  
Sportacus shuffled in his spot, looking nervous and uneasy. He drew little circles on his thigh with his thumbs.  
Robbie watched patiently, his hand slipping from Sportacus’s shoulder down to his hand, which he grasped gently.  
“It’s okay.” He said calmly.

Sportacus took in a sharp, deep breath, before he finally spoke.  
“When I arrived at the castle, I wasn’t completely sure what to expect. The council…they told me most of the details, but not all of them. They hadn’t told me…that the monster could turn things to _stone_. So, when I arrived, saw all those statues, I knew that this mission would be the most difficult one I’d ever gotten.” He said quietly.  
“Around the time I sent you that letter, I had gotten my first glimpse of the monster. It found me soon after I sent you the letter.”  
Robbie cringed, feeling instantly guilty.  
Sportacus noticed Robbie’s change in expression.  
“N-No no, it’s not your fault Robbie. It was just…just a bad timing on my part. It must’ve heard the burst of magic and found me. I tried to fight it off, tried to ward it away. I fought it as long as I could, but it was strong.” He said, absently brushing his fingers across the still present bandages and gauze. “I thought I was safe in the underground hallway where you found me, but…well I guess I wasn’t.”  
Robbie didn’t respond, simply listening.  
Sportacus sighed, his eyes drifting to the floor.  
“I…I don’t think I could describe how it felt. Just…Just your body locking up, limb by limb. I felt my heart and lungs turn to stone yet I could _breathe_. Not for very long but I could and that…that was terrifying.” He said, a shiver running through him. “I-I distinctly remember when it reached my eyes. They just locked onto one point ahead of me and I couldn’t move them. I wanted to scream but _couldn’t_ and it all settled in at once and and it rushed my head and I wanted – wanted  – “  
“Sport, _breathe_.”  
Sportacus, not realizing that he’d rambled, gasped in deep breaths and kept a careful count of ten, exhaling after completing a count. He then realized that his arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were watering.  
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Robbie said softly, rubbing Sportacus’s back.  
Sportacus sniffed, trying to relax his breathing.  
“There isn’t much more to say I don’t think. I was just stuck there, day after day, unable to move or speak or blink. You remain aware the entire time, but with my eyes stuck I was forced to stare at just one individual spot in the distance.” He said, chuckling wearily. “I must’ve counted the cracks in one wall thousands of times. There were eighty cracks in one brick. I just counted those while watching the little sunlight that came through.”  
A tear rolled down his cheek.  
“I…I feel horrible saying this, but I was trying not to think of all of you. If I thought too much about you and the kids, I would want to cry and scream, but I couldn’t. It would drive me crazy, just thinking about how I couldn’t tell you all where I was or warn you away from the castle. But I couldn’t stop thinking of you all. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I missed you.”

Robbie hugged Sportacus.  
“Don’t feel horrible. It’s okay, I don’t think anyone would be hurt hearing that.” He said.  
Sportacus wiped away the tear.  
“I remember when I saw you. When you came down to the hallway, I just remember feeling so much. I was happy to see you, but terrified as well. I wanted to scream and beg you to run, but I couldn’t.” He said, his gaze turning back up to his boyfriend. “You were crying.”  
“Yeah, I suppose I was.” Said Robbie with a laugh.  
Sportacus gave a sad smile.  
“You don’t know how much I just wanted to hold you then. Make sure you knew I was okay. Tell you things were going to be okay.”  
“Nothing stopping you now.” Mumbled Robbie.  
Sportacus laughed and pulled Robbie back into a hug, holding him close.  
Robbie returned the hug, nuzzling the hero’s vest.  
“Hmm, never gets old.” Robbie noted.  
“Yeah.” Sportacus said, stroking his boyfriend’s hair.  
Robbie looked up.  
“Something still bothering you?” He asked.  
Sportacus bit his lip.  
“You can just say yes.”  
“It’s just…weird. Not having my crystal anymore that is. I mean…I know it is for the best that I’m out of the council, but…being a hero is all I wanted to do, ever since I was little.” He said. “I feel like I’m always one step behind everything now. Even if I wanted to keep being a hero I can’t. Not to the extent I could before.”  
“Well, what if I said I might have a little something for that?” Robbie asked with a smile as he reached for the wrapped present.  
  
Sportacus’s eyes widened as he accepted the gift, tearing the paper and ribbon. As he took off the lid, he stopped and stared in awe.  
It was definitely not the same as his beloved crystal, but it was still a work of beauty. The small orb-like object flashed and flickered with a multitude of colorful lights. It was a steel gray color, and looked less polished than his crystal, but its purpose was unmistakable.  
“I figured you might want a replacement crystal, so I worked on this for the last few days. It’s a little rough but I hope it gets the job done.” Robbie noted casually. “It’s tuned to pick up distress signals and cries. It’s not refined yet, but I thought it might help you get back into business for a little while – “  
Robbie would’ve continued, if he hadn’t been interrupted by Sportacus kissing him on the lips.  
Robbie hummed as Sportacus pulled away.  
“That’s the best ‘thank you’ I’ve ever gotten.” He said.  
“It’s perfect, Robbie. Absolutely perfect.”  
“I’m glad you like it. And…well I hope this shows you that you can still do your, you know, flippity stuff.”  
“I mean, I kind of knew I could still be a hero, no matter what the council said.” Sportacus admitted. “I was just…adjusting? What I thought I’d be for the rest of my life has changed so – “  
“I get it. You’ve been through a lot. We’ve all been through a lot.” Robbie said, taking Sportacus’s hand.  
Sportacus’s gaze saddened once more.  
“I’ll admit, it’s a bit too much. I’m…I’m a bit worried. I don’t want to feel this, I think, _off_? I don’t want to feel this off for too long.”  
“And that’s why you got me and the kids. Trust me, I at least know they’re all eager to help get you back to your jumping and exercising self.” Robbie said.  
Sportacus smiled.  
“Thank you.”

Both men paused as the lights in the tent slowly illuminated, brightening the tent as the world outside grew dark.  
Robbie could feel Sportacus tense up, his expression growing strained.  
“Come over here.” Robbie coaxed, leading the hero to the pile of blankets.  
Sportacus followed, laying next to Robbie as he laid in the nest of fluffy blankets and quilts. Robbie laid on his side and wrapped his arms around Sportacus.  
Sportacus mirrored his position.  
“Your heartrate seems a bit fast. Remember to breathe.” Robbie said calmly, rubbing Sportacus’s back. “It’s okay. I’m here. You aren’t trapped. You can leave the dark whenever you’d like.”  
He could still feel Sportacus’s tension.  
“It’s okay.” Robbie repeated again quietly.  
Robbie continued until he could feel the hero’s chest rising and falling at a slow tempo, Sportacus’s tension finally melting away completely as he cuddled closer to Robbie.  
“There we go. We’re all okay. We’re here and safe.” Robbie whispered one last time as he too let himself fall asleep.

And thus, things were right once more, with Robbie and Sportacus sleeping in each other’s arms, under the starry yet still dark sky.   
The villain was safe with his hero, and the hero was safe with his villain.  
And not one monster was in sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out! Partly a mixture of writer's block and busyness kept me from working on this story but it's finally done! I hope this chapter was satisfactory at the least.
> 
> This was definitely an interesting experiment. I don't think I've ever written a whole fic on mostly the fly before, but it was a fun challenge. Perhaps I'll do another one in the future? In the mean time, I think I'll shift back to planning out outlines before writing lol
> 
> And if you're curious, yes the humans are okay. The elves may have been jerks to Sportacus and the others, but they are taking care of the formerly statued humans.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
